Sakie Yokota, the mother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977, told reporters Tuesday that her husband, Shigeru Yokota, had dedicated himself to reuniting with their daughter right up until he died on Friday at the age of 87.
Megumi was 13 years old when she was abducted.
Accompanied by her 51-year-old twin sons Takuya and Tetsuya, Sakie, 84, spoke at a press conference held in Tokyo the same day about her feelings for her late husband. The Yokotas also looked back on their 43-year fight for a reunion with Megumi. Sakie also talked about her determination to carry on Shigeru's wishes.
"He just kept doing his best. He was a really strong man," Sakie told reporters about Shigeru.
Her husband was hospitalized for two years and two months. "It was quite long, but he was always calm and smiling. He never complained that he was sore or suffering," Sakie said.
Sakie used to massage her husband's feet, fingers, head and shoulders every day at the hospital.
At Shigeru's last moment, Sakie said with a loud voice close to his ear, "You're going to heaven. Wait for me there." Then Shigeru's eyes became slightly wet with tears, according to Sakie.
"I'm glad he went to heaven with a peaceful look on his face," Sakie said.
Beating up Kim 'not enough'
One of the couple's sons, Takuya, said at the press conference that Shigeru was "an honest, kind and very strong father."
He recalled a day he was drinking with his father. When Takuya told Shigeru that he wanted to beat up North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Shigeru, who is usually calm and smiling, expressed his true feelings by saying, "That's not absolutely enough."
"My father usually didn't look angry, but I suppose he was actually much more outraged than us [over the abduction of his daughter] and he must have always been struggling with it," Takuya said.
Meanwhile, Tetsuya said that he showed photos of Megumi to Shigeru as he was sick in bed and said, "We must take her back from North Korea." In a steady voice, Shigeru said, "Yes."
Tetsuya said he thought that his father was always thinking about Megumi even he was getting weak and losing consciousness.
"My mission is to report my sister's return [from North Korea] in front of my father's grave," Tetsuya stressed.
Recently, the Yokotas were not allowed to visit Shigeru in the hospital to prevent coronavirus infections, so Sakie drew pictures and wrote letters to Shigeru and brought them to the hospital's reception every day. For instance, she drew the pink roses on the balcony of their apartment with a crayon and in a letter, she wrote to Shigeru, "They'll bloom soon. I can't see you now, but I'm always with you."
Shigeru's coffin went to his burial site on Tuesday. Before its departure, the family members put sake -- Shigeru's favorite drink -- and a cutout of a newspaper carrying a photo of Megumi into his coffin. The photo was taken on a family trip to Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. Sakie placed the cutout on his chest.
"You couldn't meet Megumi again, but hold her in your arms. We'll take her back for sure," Sakie said to her husband.
Sakie said the same photo had been displayed in Shigeru's hospital room.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
