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Abe, abduction victim's kin

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) talks with Shigeru Yokota (L) and Sakie Yokota (R), during a gathering in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2013, for the return of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea. The Yokotas' daughter, Megumi, was taken to North Korea in 1977 at age 13 and has become a symbol of the abductions issue.

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Concert to pray for Yokotas' reunion with abducted daughter

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (C) and his wife Sakie listen to music played by violinist Naoya Yoshida at a concert held in Tokyo on May 3, 2014, to pray for the couple's reunion as soon as possible with their daughter Megumi, who was abducted by North Korean agents. Yoshida was a classmate of Megumi at a junior high school in Niigata.

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Abductees' relatives criticize N. Korea for rocket launch

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (L) and his wife Sakie, parents of Megumi Yokota who was abducted at the age of 13 in 1977, speak with reporters in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Dec. 12, 2012. The Yokotas and other relatives of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the past criticized the country for its rocket launch the same day that could affect Tokyo-Pyongyang talks on the return of the abductees.

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Abductee Yokota's parents meet ex-N. Korea spy

KARUIZAWA, Japan - Sakie Yokota (R) and her husband Shigeru wrap up a press conference in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on July 22, 2010, after meeting with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui the previous day. The Yokotas said they heard no new information about Megumi's whereabouts.

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Abductee Yokota's parents meet ex-N. Korea spy

KARUIZAWA, Japan - Sakie Yokota (R) and her husband Shigeru, the parents of Megumi Yokota who was abducted to North Korea at 13 in the 1970s, attend a press conference in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on July 22, 2010 after meeting with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui the previous day. The Yokotas said they heard no new information about Megumi's whereabouts.

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Abductee Yokota's parents meet ex-N. Korea spy

KARUIZAWA, Japan - Sakie Yokota (R) and her husband Shigeru, the parents of Megumi Yokota who was abducted to North Korea at 13 in the 1970s, attend a press conference in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on July 22, 2010 after meeting with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui the previous day. The Yokotas said they heard no new information about Megumi's whereabouts.

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Yokotas to meet former N. Korean agent Kim

KARUIZAWA, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (L) and his wife Sakie, the parents of Megumi Yokota who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13, arrive at the summer house of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on July 21, 2010, to meet with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui to hear about their daughter's life in North Korea.

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Kin of abductees impressed with Obama's Tokyo speech

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeo Iizuka (C), who represents relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, flanked by Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie, whose daughter Megumi was taken to North Korea in 1977 at age 13, speaks to reporters after U.S. President Barack Obama's speech at Suntory Hall in Tokyo on Nov. 14, 2009. Iizuka, the brother of abductee Yaeko Taguchi, and the Yokotas praised the president's speech as delivering a strong, clear message toward settling the issue.

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Abductee Megumi Yokota's mother writes lyrics for song

TOKYO, Japan - Sakie Yokota (C), the mother of Megumi Yokota who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, announces a CD at a press conference in Tokyo on May 9. Yokota wrote the lyrics for a song that will be released on CD on May 10. The lyrics for the song, ''Like Cosmos,'' are based on the memories of Sakie and Megumi when the Yokotas were living in Niigata Prefecture at the time of the abduction. The music was composed by singer-songwriter Makoto Iwabuchi (R).

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Cheney meets Yokotas in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (L) meets with Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie at the official residence in Tokyo of the U.S. ambassador to Japan on Feb. 22. The Yokotas, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13 and remains missing, asked Cheney that the United States keeps N. Korea on its list of states sponsoring terrorism until the abduction issue is resolved. (Pool photo)

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'Abduction' film directors urge N. Korea to return victims

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. film director Chris Sheridan (L), his wife Patty Kim (2nd from L), Sakie Yokota (2nd from R) and her husband Shigeru hold a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 5 after a preview of ''Abduction.'' The documentary film, directed by Sheridan and Kim, chronicles the abuduction of the Yokotas' daughter Megumi.

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Yokotas ask Kawasaki major for help to solve abduction issues

KAWASAKI, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (C) and his wife Sakie (L), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977, ask Kawasaki Mayor Takao Abe to help resolve the abduction issue. They handed him letters addressed to eight cities with which the city of Kawasaki has tied up under agreements of friendship or sister relations, including Baltimore in the United States and Wollongong in Australia.

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Yokota parents glad about Kim Young Nam family reunion

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru (L) and Sakie Yokota, the parents of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota, watch television footage showing the reunion of Kim Young Nam, a South Korean abducted to North Korea who is believed to be Megumi's husband, and his mother in North Korea on June 28. The Yokotas said they were glad Kim's family were able to meet for the first time in 28 years.

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Kim Young Nam's kin head home after meeting with Yokotas

NIIGATA, Japan - Choi Gye Wol (front), the mother of Kim Young Nam, a South Korean believed to be the husband of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota in North Korea, and Kim Young Ja (R), his sister, are seen off by Megumi's mother Sakie (L) and father Shigeru (2nd from L) as they head for a boarding gate at Niigata airport on May 31 after a four-day visit to Japan.

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Yokotas meet Thai foreign minister to discuss N. Korea abduction

TOKYO, Japan - Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon (R) meets with Shigeru Yokota (2nd from R) and Sakie Yokota (2nd from L), parents of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota, at a hotel in Tokyo on May 13. At left is Shigeo Iizuka, brother of Japanese abductee Yaeko Taguchi.

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(1)Abductee's father lodges protest 'with anger,' calls for sanctions

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota, whose daughter Megumi Yokota was abducted to North Korea in 1977, accompanied by his wife Sakie, speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 8. The Yokotas issued a statement lodging a protest ''with anger'' over North Korea presenting fake remains as those of his daughter, and strongly urged the Japanese government to immediately impose economic sanctions against the North.

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Yokotas dissatisfied with outcome of Koizumi-Kim talks

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (R), leader of a group of abductees' families, and his wife Sakei (L) express their dissatisfaction in Tokyo on May 22 over the outcome of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il earlier in the day in Pyongyang.

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(2)Kin of Japanese abductees meet ex-N. Korean official

SEOUL, South Korea - Shigeru (R) and Sakie Yokota (2nd from R) whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, pose for a photo with Hwang Jang Yop, a former secretary of the Workers Party of Korea who defected to South Korea in 1997 in Seoul on June 25. The Yokotas are on a three-day visit to South Korea.

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(1)Kin of Japanese abductees meet ex-N. Korean official

SEOUL, South Korea - Shigeru (2nd from L) and Sakie Yokota (L), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, shake hands with Hwang Jang Yop (2nd from R), a former secretary of the Workers Party of Korea who defected to South Korea in 1997, and former South Korean President Kim Young Sam (R) in Seoul on June 25. The Yokotas are on a three-day visit to South Korea.

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Families of abductees to visit U.S. next week

TOKYO, Japan - (From R to L) Teruaki Masumoto, Shigeru Yokota and his wife Sakie announce in Tokyo on Feb. 27 that they plan to visit the United States next week to seek help from the U.S. government and the American people in settling the abduction issue. The Yokotas' daughter Megumi was abducted in 1977 at age 13 and is said to have died in North Korea and Masumoto's sister Rumiko was abducted in 1978 when she was 24 and reported as dead by N. Korea.

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Composer Endo presents CD to Yokotas

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese composer Minoru Endo (L) presents a CD containing a song he composed and performed to Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie (C) in Tokyo on Jan. 25. The Yokotas, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977, represent a family group of abduction victims.

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Yokotas want to hug granddaughter on N. Korean trip

OSAKA, Japan - Shigeru Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea at age 13 in 1977 and is now reportedly dead, and his wife Sakie are seated at a support rally held for them in Osaka on Dec. 21. Yokota said he and his wife want to hug their granddaughter in Pyongyang if their trip to North Korea materializes.

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Yokotas' neighbors in signature drive on abductions

KAWASAKI, Japan - Neighbors of Shigeru Yokota (5th from L) and his wife Sakie (4th from L) began a two-day signature campaign Nov. 2 near JR Kawasaki Station in Kanagawa Prefecture, urging a probe into North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals. The Yokotas' daughter Megumi was abducted by N. Korea in 1977 and later reported dead.

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Yokotas meet reporters after end of Japan-N. Korea talks

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie attend a news conference in Tokyo on Oct. 30 after Japan and North Korea ended two days of normalization talks in Kuala Lumpur without a hint of tangible progress on the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by the North. Their daughter Megumi is one of the Japanese nationals North Korea abducted and now lists as dead.

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Yokotas criticize media over granddaughter interview

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie speak to the press Oct. 26 in Tokyo about an interview by Japanese media with their 15-year-old granddaughter in North Korea. They criticized Fuji TV and two major dailies for posing what they called inappropriate questions.

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Yokotas criticize media over granddaughter interview

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie speak to the press Oct. 26 in Tokyo about an interview by Japanese media with their 15-year-old granddaughter in North Korea. They criticized Fuji TV and two major dailies for posing what they called inappropriate questions. (Kyodo)

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Yokotas meet reporters after end of Japan-N. Korea talks

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie attend a news conference in Tokyo on Oct. 30 after Japan and North Korea ended two days of normalization talks in Kuala Lumpur without a hint of tangible progress on the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by the North. Their daughter Megumi is one of the Japanese nationals North Korea abducted and now lists as dead. (Kyodo)

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(1)Kin of Japanese abductees meet ex-N. Korean official

SEOUL, South Korea - Shigeru (2nd from L) and Sakie Yokota (L), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, shake hands with Hwang Jang Yop (2nd from R), a former secretary of the Workers Party of Korea who defected to South Korea in 1997, and former South Korean President Kim Young Sam (R) in Seoul on June 25. The Yokotas are on a three-day visit to South Korea. (Kyodo)

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Yokotas ask Kawasaki major for help to solve abduction issues

KAWASAKI, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (C) and his wife Sakie (L), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977, ask Kawasaki Mayor Takao Abe to help resolve the abduction issue. They handed him letters addressed to eight cities with which the city of Kawasaki has tied up under agreements of friendship or sister relations, including Baltimore in the United States and Wollongong in Australia. (Kyodo)

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Yokota parents glad about Kim Young Nam family reunion

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru (L) and Sakie Yokota, the parents of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota, watch television footage showing the reunion of Kim Young Nam, a South Korean abducted to North Korea who is believed to be Megumi's husband, and his mother in North Korea on June 28. The Yokotas said they were glad Kim's family were able to meet for the first time in 28 years. (Kyodo)

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Abductee Megumi Yokota's mother writes lyrics for song

TOKYO, Japan - Sakie Yokota (C), the mother of Megumi Yokota who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, announces a CD at a press conference in Tokyo on May 9. Yokota wrote the lyrics for a song that will be released on CD on May 10. The lyrics for the song, ''Like Cosmos,'' are based on the memories of Sakie and Megumi when the Yokotas were living in Niigata Prefecture at the time of the abduction. The music was composed by singer-songwriter Makoto Iwabuchi (R). (Kyodo)

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Kim Young Nam's kin head home after meeting with Yokotas

NIIGATA, Japan - Choi Gye Wol (front), the mother of Kim Young Nam, a South Korean believed to be the husband of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota in North Korea, and Kim Young Ja (R), his sister, are seen off by Megumi's mother Sakie (L) and father Shigeru (2nd from L) as they head for a boarding gate at Niigata airport on May 31 after a four-day visit to Japan. (Kyodo)

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Yokotas dissatisfied with outcome of Koizumi-Kim talks

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (R), leader of a group of abductees' families, and his wife Sakei (L) express their dissatisfaction in Tokyo on May 22 over the outcome of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il earlier in the day in Pyongyang. (Kyodo)

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Yokotas meet Thai foreign minister to discuss N. Korea abduction

TOKYO, Japan - Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon (R) meets with Shigeru Yokota (2nd from R) and Sakie Yokota (2nd from L), parents of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota, at a hotel in Tokyo on May 13. At left is Shigeo Iizuka, brother of Japanese abductee Yaeko Taguchi. (Kyodo)

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Cheney meets Yokotas in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (L) meets with Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie at the official residence in Tokyo of the U.S. ambassador to Japan on Feb. 22. The Yokotas, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13 and remains missing, asked Cheney that the United States keeps N. Korea on its list of states sponsoring terrorism until the abduction issue is resolved. (Pool photo)(Kyodo)

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(1)Abductee's father lodges protest 'with anger,' calls for sanc

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Yokota, whose daughter Megumi Yokota was abducted to North Korea in 1977, accompanied by his wife Sakie, speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 8. The Yokotas issued a statement lodging a protest ''with anger'' over North Korea presenting fake remains as those of his daughter, and strongly urged the Japanese government to immediately impose economic sanctions against the North. (Kyodo)

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'Abduction' film directors urge N. Korea to return victims

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. film director Chris Sheridan (L), his wife Patty Kim (2nd from L), Sakie Yokota (2nd from R) and her husband Shigeru hold a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 5 after a preview of ''Abduction.'' The documentary film, directed by Sheridan and Kim, chronicles the abuduction of the Yokotas' daughter Megumi. (Kyodo)

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Abductee Yokota's parents meet ex-N. Korea spy

KARUIZAWA, Japan - Sakie Yokota (R) and her husband Shigeru wrap up a press conference in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on July 22, 2010, after meeting with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui the previous day. The Yokotas said they heard no new information about Megumi's whereabouts. (Kyodo)

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Abductee Yokota's parents meet ex-N. Korea spy

KARUIZAWA, Japan - Sakie Yokota (R) and her husband Shigeru, the parents of Megumi Yokota who was abducted to North Korea at 13 in the 1970s, attend a press conference in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on July 22, 2010 after meeting with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui the previous day. The Yokotas said they heard no new information about Megumi's whereabouts. (Kyodo)

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Abductee Yokota's parents meet ex-N. Korea spy

KARUIZAWA, Japan - Sakie Yokota (R) and her husband Shigeru, the parents of Megumi Yokota who was abducted to North Korea at 13 in the 1970s, attend a press conference in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on July 22, 2010 after meeting with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui the previous day. The Yokotas said they heard no new information about Megumi's whereabouts. (Kyodo)

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Yokotas to meet former N. Korean agent Kim

KARUIZAWA, Japan - Shigeru Yokota (L) and his wife Sakie, the parents of Megumi Yokota who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13, arrive at the summer house of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on July 21, 2010, to meet with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui to hear about their daughter's life in North Korea. (Kyodo)

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Kin of abductees impressed with Obama's Tokyo speech

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeo Iizuka (C), who represents relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, flanked by Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie, whose daughter Megumi was taken to North Korea in 1977 at age 13, speaks to reporters after U.S. President Barack Obama's speech at Suntory Hall in Tokyo on Nov. 14, 2009. Iizuka, the brother of abductee Yaeko Taguchi, and the Yokotas praised the president's speech as delivering a strong, clear message toward settling the issue. (Kyodo)

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(2)Kin of Japanese abductees meet ex-N. Korean official

SEOUL, South Korea - Shigeru (R) and Sakie Yokota (2nd from R) whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, pose for a photo with Hwang Jang Yop, a former secretary of the Workers Party of Korea who defected to South Korea in 1997 in Seoul on June 25. The Yokotas are on a three-day visit to South Korea. (Kyodo)

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Families of abductees to visit U.S. next week

TOKYO, Japan - (From R to L) Teruaki Masumoto, Shigeru Yokota and his wife Sakie announce in Tokyo on Feb. 27 that they plan to visit the United States next week to seek help from the U.S. government and the American people in settling the abduction issue. The Yokotas' daughter Megumi was abducted in 1977 at age 13 and is said to have died in North Korea and Masumoto's sister Rumiko was abducted in 1978 when she was 24 and reported as dead by N. Korea. (Kyodo)

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Composer Endo presents CD to Yokotas

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese composer Minoru Endo (L) presents a CD containing a song he composed and performed to Shigeru Yokota (R) and his wife Sakie (C) in Tokyo on Jan. 25. The Yokotas, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977, represent a family group of abduction victims. (Kyodo)

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Yokotas want to hug granddaughter on N. Korean trip

OSAKA, Japan - Shigeru Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea at age 13 in 1977 and is now reportedly dead, and his wife Sakie are seated at a support rally held for them in Osaka on Dec. 21. Yokota said he and his wife want to hug their granddaughter in Pyongyang if their trip to North Korea materializes. (Kyodo)

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Yokotas' neighbors in signature drive on abductions

KAWASAKI, Japan - Neighbors of Shigeru Yokota (5th from L) and his wife Sakie (4th from L) began a two-day signature campaign Nov. 2 near JR Kawasaki Station in Kanagawa Prefecture, urging a probe into North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals. The Yokotas' daughter Megumi was abducted by N. Korea in 1977 and later reported dead. (Kyodo)