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Rally to seek return of Japanese abductees

Former Japanese abductee Yasushi Chimura speaks during a rally held in Echizen in the central Japan prefecture of Fukui on Nov. 17, 2024, for the return to Japan of other Japanese abducted by North Korea.

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North Korea's abduction of Japanese

Yasushi Chimura, one of the five Japanese abducted by North Korea who returned home in 2002, gives a speech at Obama Police Station in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, on June 24, 2024.

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Former abductees' family marks 10th year of reunion

TOKYO, Japan - Children of two Japanese couples are about to fly from Pyongyang's international airport to Japan in May 2004. They are (from R in front row) Kiyoshi Chimura, Emi Chimura, Shigeyo Hasuike and Yasuhiko Chimura (L in back), and Katsuya Hasuike (R in back). Their parents were abducted by North Korean agents and repatriated to Japan.

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Former abductees' family regains "ordinary life" in Japan hometown

TOKYO, Japan - This file photo shows two children of abduction victims Kaoru and Yukiko Hasuike, and three children of abductees Yasushi and Fukie Chimura preparing to leave Pyongyang international airport for Japan on May 22, 2004.

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Former abductees' family regains "ordinary life" in Japan hometown

TOKYO, Japan - Abduction victims Yasushi Chimura (L) and his wife Fukie hold a press conference in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on Oct. 4, 2012 ahead of the 10th anniversary of their return to Japan from North Korea.

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Abductee thanks friend for advice upon 2002 return from N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows five abduction victims -- Yasushi Chimura (R front), his wife Fukie (C front), Kaoru Hasuike and his wife Yukiko (center), and Hitomi Soga (upper left) -- returning to Japan from North Korea at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Oct. 15, 2002.

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Abductee Chimura becomes regular employee of Obama city

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura (R), an abductee repatriated from North Korea, receives from Toshio Murakami (L), the mayor of Obama in Fukui Prefecture, the certification of his appointment as a planning official in the city's tourism and international exchange section in a ceremony at city hall on April 3.

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Chimura couple told police ex-agent Sin Guang Su taught them Korean

TOKYO, Japan - Two repatriated Japanese victims of abduction by North Korea have told police that Sin Guang Su (in file photo), a former North Korean agent who is on the international wanted list, was in charge of educating them in the North, police sources said Feb. 2. Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, both 50, have said to police investigators that Sin, 76, taught them Korean and other things at a facility in North Korea.

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Repatriated abductees identify 2 N. Korean agents

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Sin Guang Su, one of two North Korean agents, who have been identified by repatriated Japanese abductees Kaoru Hasuike and Yasushi Chimura as being responsible for their abductions, investigative sources said on Dec. 30. Their testimonies have prompted the Japanese police to launch an investigation in order to obtain arrest warrants for the two agents. The other agent is a man simply known as ''Park.'' the source said.

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(2)Names of Chimuras' children unveiled

OBAMA, Japan - Repatriated abductees Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie unveiled the names of their three children from North Korea on May 31. (From L to R in this file photo) Their second son Kiyoshi, 16, daughter Emi, 22, and the eldest son Yasuhiko, 20.

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(4)Names of Chimuras' children unveiled

OBAMA, Japan - File photo shows Yasuhiko Chimura, the 20-year-old son of Japanese abductees Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie. Yasuhiko came to Japan on May 22 from North Korea with his younger brother Kiyoshi, 16, and his sister Emi, 22.

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(3)Names of Chimuras' children unveiled

OBAMA, Japan - File photo shows Kiyoshi Chimura, the 16-year-old second son of Japanese abductees Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie. Kiyoshi came to Japan on May 22 from North Korea with his brother Yasuhiko, 20, and sister Emi, 22.

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Chimuras explain abduction issues to children

OBAMA, Japan - Japanese abductees Yasushi Chimura (R) and his wife Fukie (L) explain to reporters in Obama in Fukui Prefecture that they talked about the abduction issue with their three children.

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(5)Names of Chimuras' children unveiled

OBAMA, Japan - File photo shows Emi Chimura, the 22-year-old daughter of Japanese abductees Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie. Emi came to Japan on May 22 from North Korea with her two brothers Yasuhiko, 20, and Kiyoshi, 16.

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(1)Names of Chimuras' children unveiled

OBAMA, Japan - Japanese repatriated abductees Yasushi Chimura (C) and his wife Fukie (R) register at the Obama municipal office in Fukui Prefecture on May 31 the change of address of their three children, Emi, Yasuhiko and Kiyoshi, who came to Japan from North Korea on May 22.

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Chimuras ask for exchanges with youth for N. Korean-born kids

OBAMA, Japan - Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa (L) discusses with administrative staff how to help repatriated Japanese abductees Yasushi and Fukie Chimura and their North-Korean born children. The Chimuras asked Nishikawa for help in arranging ''lasting exchanges'' between their three children and Japanese of their generation.

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Chimura remained isolated in N. Korea after abduction

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura, one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, speaks with reporters in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on May 28. Chimura said he remained isolated for a long time after he was abducted in 1978.

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N. Korea may have ordered Chimuras' children to return

OBAMA, Japan - Former abductee Yasushi Chimura speaks to reporters in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on May 23 after returning to his hometown with his three children from North Korea. Chimura said he thinks North Korea may have ordered his daughter and two sons to return to the country after meeting with him and his wife Fukie, also a repatriated abductee.

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Chimuras back home in Fukui Pref.

OBAMA, Japan - Former abductees Yasushi Chimura (R), his wife Fukie (L) and their daughter and two sons are welcomed by people in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on May 24. The daughter and sons came to Japan from Pyongyang to be reunited with their parents as a result of talks May 22 between Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

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Chimura, Hasuike meet press after being reunited with children

TOKYO, Japan - Former Japanese abductees Kaoru Hasuike (L) and Yasushi Chimura (R) meet reporters at a Tokyo hotel on May 22 after they were reunited with their children from Pyongyang.

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5 children of Chimuras, Hasuikes reunited with parents

TOKYO, Japan - Cabinet Secretariat special adviser Kyoko Nakayama (C) greets former Japanese abductees Kaoru and Yukiko Hasuike, and Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, and the couples' sons and daughters at a Tokyo hotel on May 22. (Pool photo)

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Chimura's children greeted by Nakayama in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Cabinet Secretariat special adviser Kyoko Nakayama (L) greets the second son, O Kyong Ho, 16, and daughter, O Kyong Ae, 22, of former Japanese abductee Yasushi Chimura at a Tokyo hotel on May 22. The children arrived in Tokyo from Pyongyang to be reunited with their parents. (Pool photo)

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Chimuras, Hasuikes head to see sons and daughters at Haneda

TOKYO, Japan - Former Japanese abductees, Yasushi Chimura (L) and his wife Fukie (2nd from L), Kaoru Hasuike (2nd from R) and his wife Yukiko (R), board a bus to Tokyo's Haneda airport to meet their sons and daughters from Pyongyang.

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Ex-abductees express joy over coming reunions with children

TOKYO, Japan - Four of the five repatriated abductees expressed joy in Tokyo on May 22 over the reunions to take place later in the day with their sons and daughters, when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi returns home from Pyongyang after talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. But they also expressed unhappiness that the three family members of a former abductee, Hitomi Soga (C), will not be coming to Japan at this time. The four are (from L to R) Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie, Yukiko Hasuike and her husband Kaoru.

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(2)5 abductees anticipate reunions after Japan-N. Korea talks

TOKYO, Japan - Three repatriated Japanese abductees from North Korea -- (from L to R) Fukie Chimura, Hitomi Soga and Yukiko Hasuike -- prepare to leave a news conference at a Tokyo hotel on May 21. The three and the husbands of Chimura and Hasuike met reporters ahead of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang on May 22.

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5 abductees anticipate reunions after Japan-N. Korea talks

TOKYO, Japan - Five repatriated Japanese abductees from North Korea -- (from L to R) Yasushi Chimura, his wife Fukie, Hitomi Soga, Yukiko Hasuike and her husband Kaoru -- hold a news conference in Tokyo on May 21 ahead of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang on May 22. Koizumi will meet N. Korean leader Kim Jong Il for talks on the abduction and other issues.

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Chimuras prepare for return of their children

OBAMA, Japan - Repatriated abductees Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie carry things to their new rented house in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on May 18 in preparation for the return of their three children they have left behind in North Korea.

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LDP's Abe vows to settle abduction issue with N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Shinzo Abe (R), secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, shakes hands with Yasushi Chimura at the Obama municipal government office in Fukui Prefecture on Feb. 7, with Chimura's wife looking on. The Chimuras are among five Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea in 1978 who are now back in their homeland. Their children are still in Pyongyang.

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(1)5 ex-N. Korea abductees cast votes in election

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura and his wife, Fukie, cast their ballots in the House of Representatives election in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on Nov. 9. The couple are among five Japanese abducted by North Korea who returned to Japan last year.

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(1)Abductees meet the press

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura (R), 48, and his wife Fukie, 48, abducted to North Korea in the late 1970s and returned to Japan in 2002, gives a joint news conference at the Obama municipal government office in Fukui Prefecture on Oct. 14, a day before marking the first anniversary of their repatriation from North Korea.

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Ex-abductee Chimura serves as Japanese-Korean interpreter

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura (R), who was abducted by North Korea in 1978 and repatriated to Japan in 2002, serves as a Japanese-Korean interpreter for the first time in a public event in Obama, Fukui Prefecture on Oct. 11. Working for his employer, Obama Mayor Toshio Murakami, the 48-year-old Chimura translated his address to roughly 90 participants in a gathering on Japan-Korea friendship.

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(1)Abductees seek early settlement to abduction issue

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura, one of Japanese abductees to North Korea, speaks at a press conference at the Obama municipal office on Sept. 16. He expressed the home that the government will bring the abduction issue to an early settlement.

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Chimuras visit photo exhibition on abductions

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura (R) and his wife Fukie, two of five Japanese repatriated to Japan last October after North Korea abducted them in 1978, view photos on the abduction issue in their hometown of Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on Sept. 7 after attending an opening ceremony for the show.

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(1)Former abductees discuss letters from children

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi (R) and Fukie Chimura, abducted to North Korea 25 years ago and repatriated to Japan last October, show reporters a letter from their 21-year-old daughter in North Korea on Aug. 3 in Obama, Fukui Prefecture. They said she believes they are being detained in Japan.

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(2)Japan may study economic sanctions on N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Five repatriated Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea in 1978 alight from their bus at a Tokyo hotel to attend a luncheon with government officials May 8. (From L to R) Fukie Chimura, Hitomi Soga (in the bus), Yukiko Hasuike, Kaoru Hasuike and Yasushi Chimura. They met Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda earlier in the day.

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Chimuras cast ballots for 1st time in Japan since return

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura (L) and his wife Fukie, two of five Japanese repatriated last October after being abducted to North Korea in 1978, cast their ballots in their hometown Obama on April 13 in the Fukui gubernatorial election. (Pool photo)

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(2)Hasuikes, Chimuras start working at local gov'ts

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura poses at his desk on the first day of his work at the Obama city government office in Fukui Prefecture on April 1. Assigned to a department in charge of promoting business, Chimura will help in activities related to food, such as the operation of a local food museum. (Pool photo) (Kyoido)

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(3)Hasuikes, Chimuras start working at local gov'ts

OBAMA, Japan - Fukie Chimura (R) listens to a briefing on her job assignment from a Fukui Prefectural government official on April 1. She will assist in the issuance of passports for travelers and translating public relations materials into Korean. (Pool photo)

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Obama mayor reads poem by abductee's brother at ceremony

OBAMA, Japan - Toshio Murakami (on rostrum), mayor of Obama, home to Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie, reads a poem written by Fukie's brother Yuko Hamamoto on Jan. 12 at a coming-of-age ceremony in the Fukui Prefecture city. The Chimuras are back in Japan after being abducted to North Korea in 1978. (Pool photo)

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Chimuras meet Obama mayor to discuss job hunt

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura (C) and his wife Fukie (R), two of the five Japanese abducted by North Korea in 1978 and now back in Japan, meet Toshio Murakami, mayor of Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on Jan. 7 to discuss the possibility of Chimura working at the municipal office. (Pool photo)

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Class reunion held for Chimuras

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi (C) and Fukie (L) Chimura, two of the five Japanese nationals who have returned after being abducted to North Korea more than 24 years ago, toast at a class reunion their former classmates held in Obama, Fukui Prefecture on Jan. 3 to cheer them up. (Pool photo)

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Ex-classmates give Fukie Chimura words of encouragement

OBAMA, Japan - Shinsho Sasagawa, who once taught Fukie Chimura, one of five Japanese abducted to North Korea in 1978 and now back in Japan, holds a collection of compositions written by Chimura's former elementary school classmates to encourage her.

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Chimuras celebrate New Year's Day in Japan

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura (L) and his wife, Fukie, among those abducted by North Korea in 1978 but now back in Japan, on Jan. 1 visit Fukie's family home in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, to celebrate New Year's Day with relatives. Speaking to reporters, Chimura, 47, expressed his wish to be reunited as soon as possible with his children. ''I cannot hide my feeling that I wish my children were also here,'' he said. (pool photo)

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Chimura father wants to visit N. Korea to meet grandchildren

OBAMA, Japan - Tamotsu Chimura, the father of Yasushi Chimura now back in Japan after being abducted to North Korea in 1978, tells reporters at his home in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on Dec. 31 he wants to travel to Pyongyang to see his grandchildren there if Japanese government officials accompany him. Yasushi has three children still in Pyongyang. (Pool photo)

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Abductee urges N. Korea to take humanitarian view of children

OBAMA, Japan - Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie, two of five Japanese abducted by North Korea in 1978 but now back in Japan, speak to reporters at his home in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on Dec. 30. Chimura said he wants Pyongyang to approach the issue of the abductees' children still in North Korea from a humanitarian perspective. (Pool photo)

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4 abductees enjoy staying together overnight

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan - Two couples who were abducted to North Korea in 1978 and are now back in Japan speak to reporters Dec. 21 after staying together overnight in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. They are (from L to R) Kaoru Hasuike, Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, and Yukiko Hasuike.

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Chimuras to stay at Hasuikes' home

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan - Yasushi Chimura (2nd from R) and his wife Fukie (3rd from R), two of the five Japanese now back home after being abducted to North Korea in 1978, were invited to stay at the home of the Hasuikes in Niigata Prefecture on the way back to their home in Fukui Prefecture after a reunion of the five in Niigata Prefecture. (From L to R) are Yukiko Hasuike, her husband Kaoru, and his mother Hatsui. At right is Kaoru's father Hidekazu. (Pool photo)

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Abductees travel to Hyoko Lake

NIIGATA, Japan - The five Japanese (in left group) now back home after being abducted to North Korea in 1978 travel to Hyoko Lake in northern Niigata Prefecture on Dec. 20 after spending a night at a nearby spa. (From L to R) are Kaoru Hasuike, Yasushi Chimura, Hitomi Soga, Yukiko Hasuike and Fukie Chimura. At right are Sakie Yokota and her husband Shigeru, whose daughter was abducted to North Korea in 1977. (Pool photo)

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5 abduction victims do not plan to return to N. Korea

NIIGATA, Japan - Five Japanese back in their homeland after being abducted by North Korea in 1978 -- Yukiko Hasuike (L), her husband Kaoru Hasuike (2nd from L), Hitomi Soga (C), Yasushi Chimura (2nd from R) and his wife Fukie Chimura -- hold a joint press conference at the Niigata prefectural government office on Dec. 19. They said they have no intention of returning to the North, where their children and the husband of one of them remain. (Pool photo)

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5 abductees meet relatives of abduction victims

NIIGATA, Japan - The five Japanese (seated background)) now back home after being abducted to North Korea in 1978 meet relatives of other Japanese abduction victims at a Niigata hotel Dec. 19. (From R to L, background) are Kaoru Hasuike, Yasushi Chimura, Hitomi Soga, Fukie Chimura and Yukiko Hasuike. The returnees removed their North Korean badges in the meeting. (Pool photo)