800 Rally in Tokyo to demand North Korea abductees’ immediate return

A gathering of around 800 individuals, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, took place in Tokyo on Sunday to advocate for the immediate return of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago. Takuya Yokota, the younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted at age 13, addressed the rally, stating that parents of abductees live in constant fear.

"I want everyone to continue fighting with us with a strong determination never to give up until all abductees return home," he said. Sakie Yokota, Megumi's 90-year-old mother and one of the rally's organizers, expressed her heartache, saying, "I feel indescribable heartache and sorrow because a family member I raised with great care was taken away."

Her son Koichiro Iizuka, 49 and Yaeko Taguchi's eldest son, emphasized, "Once the new year begins, it will be 49 years since my mother was abducted. I absolutely cannot accept allowing that to stretch to 50 years." Takaichi, in her address, voiced her sorrow over the abductees' absence, promising to make a breakthrough during her term as Prime Minister, stating, "My mission will not end until the day their families can embrace their loved ones again."

The rally concluded with a resolution urging North Korea to return all abductees, as long as parents of the victims are still alive.