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August 14, 2026
 

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MEGUMI YOKOTA

Sakie Yokota (center, back), mother of North Korean abductee Megumi Yokota, and others attend a rally held in Tokyo on Saturday that called for the immediate return of Japanese people abducted by North Korea.
JAPAN
May 31, 2026
Tokyo rally urges return of all Japanese abductees held in North Korea
Relatives of those abducted to North Korea decades ago expressed hopes for the return of abductees immediately and while their parents are still alive.
Sakie Yokota (fourth from left) and former classmates of her daughter, Megumi, hand a list of signatures to Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (third from right) at the Prime Minister's Office on Jan. 19.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
90-year-old mother of abductee laments lack of progress on securing return
Sakie Yokota has not seen her daughter, Megumi, since her 1977 abduction at the age of 13 in the city of Niigata on her way home from junior high school.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (third from right) receives signatures and a message from Masaki Ikeda (fourth from right), who heads a group of former classmates of Megumi Yokota, at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday. Fourth from left is Megumi's mother, Sakie Yokota,
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 20, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ top government spokesman meets Sakie Yokota, mother of abductee Megumi
In the meeting, Sakie said she hopes there will be some progress this year on the issue of repatriating Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea.
Sakie Yokota (center) and Takuya Yokota (left) at a news conference after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo last month
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2025
After 48 years, families of Japanese abductees still waiting for progress
Progress on the abduction issue has stalled since the early 2000s, when some abductees returned to Japan under then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Sakie Yokota, 89, speaks to reporters in Kawasaki on Tuesday. "Why can't such an important matter be resolved? I'm stunned," she said.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2025
After decades of waiting, mother fears she may never see her abducted daughter returned
Megumi Yokota was taken by North Korea in 1977. Her 89-year-old mother is still waiting for her return, but says she is ¡°completely exhausted now.¡±
A banner calling for the resolution of the issue of abductions by North Korea is displayed near the Diet building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on June 10.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2025
Families of Japanese abductees race against time
Negotiations between Japan and North Korea have remained at a standstill since October 2002, when five victims were repatriated.
Sakie Yokota, mother of a North Korean abduction victim, said she feels "great loneliness" after the death of her husband, whom she described as a "serious person."
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2025
Mother of North Korean abductee urges government to have sense of mission over issue
Her husband, Shigeru, died in 2020 at the age of 87 without being able to see his abducted daughter again.
Sakie Yokota (center) and other family members of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea held a national rally in Tokyo on Saturday to demand the immediate return of all abductees.
JAPAN
May 25, 2025
Families demand North Korea return all Japanese abductees
The rally, organized mainly by the family group and an organization supporting such families, brought together about 800 people, including lawmakers.
Takuya Yokota, the leader of a group of families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago (left), asks people for signatures to seek their return during a campaign held in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2025
Family members of North Korea abductees hold Tokyo campaign to seek their return
Meanwhile, in Washington, 17 members of U.S. Congress sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to ¡°prioritize¡± the return of the Japanese abductees.
Classmates and others planted cherry trees on Thursday in the city of Niigata, praying for the swift return of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2025
Abductee Megumi Yokota¡¯s classmates donate cherry trees to school
Megumi¡¯s father, Shigeru, photographed her standing in front of cherry trees at Yorii junior high school seven months before she was kidnapped.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba raised North Korea's past abduction of Japanese nationals during his first face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2025
Head of abductees¡¯ families relieved over Japan-U.S. talks
Takuya Yokota, 56, is a brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 when she was just 13 years old.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks on Saturday in Tokyo at a rally that was held by a group of families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago to demand the immediate return of all abductees.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 24, 2024
Ishiba shelves proposal for liaison offices with North Korea amid rising tensions
The Prime Minister has expressed his commitment to resolving the abduction issue, as well as his willingness to hold talks with Kim Jong Un.
Sakie Yokota, 88, speaks during a news conference in Kawasaki on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2024
Mother of North Korea abductee laments lack of progress over issue
¡°I wonder why this issue has dragged on so long,¡± said 88-year-old Sakie Yokota. Her daughter, Megumi Yokota, went missing 47 years ago.
Sakie Yokota, the mother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, meets with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2024
Ishiba meets families of North Korean abductees for first time as PM
The prime minister expressed a willingness to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the abductions.
Sakie Yokota shares her thoughts ahead of her abducted daughter's 60th birthday, on Thursday in Kawasaki.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2024
Sakie Yokota expresses hopes for a reunion on daughter¡¯s 60th birthday
Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at the age of 13. If a reunion is realized, ¡°I just hope to hug her silently,¡± Sakie said.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2023
For Sakie Yokota, one of two living North Korea abductee parents, resolving issue remains priority
Yokota, 87, marked the third anniversary of her husband¡¯s death with an expression of concern over resolving the issue of people kidnapped by the reclusive regime.
JAPAN
May 1, 2023
Group supporting abductee Megumi Yokota¡¯s family turns 20
Photos of Megumi are exhibited around Japan and abroad to call attention to the parents¡¯ persistent wish to rescue their daughter.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 11, 2020
The North Korean abduction issue in Japan: When will the waiting end?
The Japanese government officially claims 17 Japanese nationals were abducted, but adds that there could be more than 800 others.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 6, 2020
Shigeru Yokota¡¯s death a reminder that time is running out on abduction issue
Yokota¡¯s death is a blow to the families fighting to get their loved ones back, and the ¡®top priority¡¯ issue might now be treated as a mere distraction amid the pandemic.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2019
Abe used Cabinet reshuffle to renew focus on North Korea abductions, but resolution remains out of reach
In last week¡¯s Cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe replaced some of the key personnel responsible for handling the issue of North Korea¡¯s abductions of Japanese nationals ¡ª again demonstrating his determination to resolve the decadeslong problem.
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Mexican man arrested over attempt to smuggle some 200 lizards into Japan
Mexican alligator lizards seized by Tokyo Customs from a Mexican man who attempted to smuggle them into Japan on Saturday through Haneda Airport
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
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