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Junior high school student meeting on abductions by N. Korea

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese abducted by North Korea, speaks to over 60 junior high school students from across Japan during a government-sponsored meeting in Tokyo on Aug. 8, 2025, to enhance public awareness, especially among young people, of the abduction issue. His sister Megumi was abducted at age 13 in 1977.

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U.N. symposium on N. Korea's abductions

Takuya Yokota (R), head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, and Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (C), take part in an online U.N. symposium on the abduction issue from Tokyo on June 26, 2025. Yokota's sister, Megumi, was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13.

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U.N. symposium on N. Korea's abductions

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, takes part in an online U.N. symposium on the abduction issue from Tokyo on June 26, 2025. Yokota's sister, Megumi, was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13.

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Abductees' families hold rally

TOKYO, Japan, May 25 Kyodo - Families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago and their supporters hold a rally in Tokyo on May 24, 2025, with about 800 people, including Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, attending. (Kyodo)

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Event on North Korean abduction issue

Hitomi Soga, a Japanese woman who was abducted to North Korea in 1978 before being repatriated in 2002, speaks to reporters on Nov. 16, 2024, after attending an event in the central Japan city of Niigata, to mark the 47th anniversary of the abduction of Megumi Yokota. Yokota was abducted by North Korea at age 13 on Nov. 15, 1977, and has become a symbol of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s.

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Event on North Korean abduction issue

Tetsuya Yokota, a younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, speaks on Nov. 16, 2024, at an event in the central Japan city of Niigata to mark the 47th anniversary of the abduction on Nov. 15.

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Event on North Korean abduction issue

Tetsuya (L) and Takuya Yokota, younger brothers of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, speaks to reporters on Nov. 16, 2024, after attending an event in the central Japan city of Niigata, to mark the 47th anniversary of the abduction on Nov. 15.

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Event on North Korean abduction issue

Sakie Yokota, mother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, speaks online on Nov. 16, 2024, at an event in the central Japan city of Niigata, to mark the 47th anniversary of the abduction on Nov. 15.

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Lower house committee on abduction issue

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea and whose sister Megumi was taken away in 1977 at age 13, holds a picture of their 88-year-old mother Sakie during a session of the House of Representatives special committee on addressing the abduction issue in Tokyo on May 28, 2024. Yokota urged the Japanese government to do everything possible to rescue all abductees while their parents are still alive.

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Rally on abduction issue

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, speaks at a government-sponsored rally on their abduction in Kochi, western Japan, on Feb. 17, 2024. Yokota is a younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13.

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Meeting on abduction issue

Hitomi Soga, a Japanese woman who was abducted to North Korea in 1978 before being repatriated in 2002, makes a speech during a gathering on the abduction issue in Kawaguchi near Tokyo on Jan. 27, 2024.

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Top gov't spokesman meets college students over abduction issue

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (facing camera) meets in Tokyo with college students on Dec. 16, 2023, to discuss how the subject of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s should be taught at school.

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Top gov't spokesman meets college students over abduction issue

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (C) meets in Tokyo with college students on Dec. 16, 2023, to discuss how the subject of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s should be taught at school.

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Symposium on abduction issue

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during a government-sponsored symposium on Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2023.

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Symposium on abduction issue

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during a government-sponsored symposium on Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2023.

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Symposium on abduction issue

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, speaks during a government-sponsored symposium on the abduction issue in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2023. Yokota is a younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13.

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Concert to promote settlement of abduction issue

A music concert is held at South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk Min's official residence in Tokyo on Nov. 9, 2023, to promote the settlement of North Korea's abduction of Japanese and South Korean nationals.

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Concert to promote settlement of abduction issue

South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk Min speaks at a music concert held to promote the settlement of North Korea's abduction of Japanese and South Korean nationals at his official residence in Tokyo on Nov. 9, 2023.

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Concert to promote settlement of abduction issue

A video message by Sakie Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea at age 13 in 1977, is projected during a music concert held at South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk Min's official residence in Tokyo on Nov. 9, 2023, to promote the settlement of North Korea's abduction of Japanese and South Korean nationals.

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Junior high school "summit" on abductions by N. Korea

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, speaks during a Japanese government-sponsored "summit" of junior high school students across Japan held in Tokyo on Aug. 10, 2023, to enhance public awareness, especially among young people, of the abduction issue. Yokota is a younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13.

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Junior high school "summit" on abductions by N. Korea

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, speaks during a Japanese government-sponsored "summit" of junior high school students across Japan held in Tokyo on Aug. 10, 2023, to enhance public awareness, especially among young people, of the abduction issue. Yokota is a younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13.

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Junior high school "summit" on abductions by N. Korea

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, speaks during a Japanese government-sponsored "summit" of junior high school students across Japan held in Tokyo on Aug. 10, 2023, to enhance public awareness, especially among young people, of the abduction issue. Yokota is a younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13.

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Photo exhibition held in Tokyo on iconic N. Korea abductee

A photo exhibition on Megumi Yokota, who has become a symbol of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, is held at the Nihombashi Takashimaya department store gallery in Tokyo on Aug. 2, 2023, with her mother Sakie (R) visiting. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno (C), who doubles as minister in charge of the abduction issue, also visits the exhibition. (Pool photo)

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Photo exhibition held in Tokyo on iconic N. Korea abductee

A photo exhibition on Megumi Yokota, who has become a symbol of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, is held at the Nihombashi Takashimaya department store gallery in Tokyo on Aug. 2, 2023. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno (front), who doubles as minister in charge of the abduction issue, and Megumi's mother Sakie (2nd from L) visit the exhibition. (Pool photo)

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Photo exhibition held in Tokyo on iconic N. Korea abductee

A 13-day photo exhibition on Megumi Yokota, abducted by North Korea at age 13 in 1977, begins at the Nihombashi Takashimaya department store gallery in Tokyo on Aug. 2, 2023. Yokota, one of the 17 people officially listed by Japan as having been abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s, became a symbol of the still unresolved abduction issue as five of them returned home in 2002 and the other 12, including her, remain unaccounted for.

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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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U.S. envoy Kennedy

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy (L) is received by Keiji Furuya, Japan's state minister in charge of the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals, before talks at the National Police Agency in Tokyo on Jan. 30, 2014. (Pool photo)

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U.S. envoy Kennedy

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy (L) and Keiji Furuya (R), Japan's state minister in charge of the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals, meet at the National Police Agency in Tokyo on Jan. 30, 2014. (Pool photo)

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Masumoto speaks at meeting to raise abduction awareness

KANOYA, Japan - Teruaki Masumoto, whose elder sister Rumiko was abducted to North Korea in 1978, speaks at an event in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan, on Nov. 20, 2014, to raise public awareness of the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea.

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U.S. ready to help Japan resolve N. Korean abduction issue

TOKYO, Japan - Eriko Yamatani (L), minister in charge of the issue of North Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals, shakes hands with Robert King, U.S. special envoy for human rights issues, in Tokyo on Nov. 10, 2014. King said Washington stands ready to help Tokyo resolve the abduction issue.

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Abduction probe panel chief meets Japanese delegation

PYONGYANG, North Korea - So Tae Ha, chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee on abductees, attends a meeting with a Japanese delegation in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, to discuss the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to the reclusive country.

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N. Korean security officer joins abduction talks with Japan

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Kim Myong Chol, counselor at the North Korean Ministry of State Security and vice chairman of Pyongyang's special investigation committee on abductees, attends a meeting with a Japanese delegation in the North Korean capital on Oct. 28, 2014, to discuss the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to the reclusive country.

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N. Korean police chief joins abduction talks with Japan

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Pak Yong Sik, department director at the North Korean Ministry of People's Security and vice chairman of Pyongyang's special investigation committee on abductees, attends a meeting with a Japanese delegation in the North Korean capital on Oct. 28, 2014, to discuss the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to the reclusive country.

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and So Tae Ha (C), chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee into the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, head for their meeting in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, as the two countries launched two days of talks in the North Korean capital on the abduction issue. Ihara leads a Japanese government mission dispatched to North Korea for the first time since November 2004. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (C), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, holds talks with North Korean officials in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, on the North's investigation into Japanese nationals abducted decades ago. At the outset of a two-day meeting, Ihara said, "The abduction issue is the most important issue for Japan."

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (far R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and So Tae Ha (far L), chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee into the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, launch their two days of talks on the abduction issue in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014. Ihara leads a Japanese government mission dispatched to North Korea for the first time since November 2004. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and So Tae Ha (C), chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee into the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, head for their meeting in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, as the two countries launched two days of talks in the North Korean capital on the abduction issue. Ihara leads a Japanese government mission dispatched to North Korea for the first time since November 2004. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, shakes hands with So Tae Ha, chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee into the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, as the two countries launched two days of talks in the North Korean capital on the abduction issue. Ihara leads a Japanese government mission dispatched to North Korea for the first time since November 2004. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, holds talks with North Korean officials in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, on the North's investigation into Japanese nationals abducted decades ago. At the outset of a two-day meeting, Ihara said, "The abduction issue is the most important issue for Japan." (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea to discuss abduction probe next week

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks with reporters at his office in Tokyo on Oct. 22, 2014, about the government's plan to send a delegation of around 10 officials to Pyongyang next week to hold talks on North Korea's ongoing investigation into the fates of Japanese nationals abducted decades ago. "The purpose of the trip is to tell someone in a responsible position that the abduction issue is the highest priority for Japan," Abe said.

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Abductee's mother urges review of gov't stance at N. Korea talks

TOKYO, Japan - Sakie Yokota (2nd from R), the mother of Megumi Yokota who remains missing after being abducted by North Korean agents in 1977 at age 13, speaks in Tokyo on Oct. 16, 2014, at a meeting with a league of parliamentarians pressing for the abductees' safe return. Also pictured are Eriko Yamatani (R), state minister in charge of the abduction issue, and Teruaki Masumoto (2nd from L), secretary general of the Japanese Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea.

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Abductees' kin oppose N. Korea trip by Japanese officials

TOKYO, Japan - Teruaki Masumoto (L), secretary general of the Japanese Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, hands a petition to Eriko Yamatani, state minister in charge of the abduction issue, in Tokyo on Oct. 16, 2014, to convey the group's opposition to a proposed trip for Japanese government officials to visit North Korea on a fact-finding mission.

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FM Kishida talks to press in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to the press at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 30, 2014, after being briefed on the bilateral meeting with North Korea over the abduction issue.

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Japan officials asked to visit N. Korea for abduction details

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with reporters in Tokyo on Sept. 30, 2014, after being briefed about the bilateral meeting with North Korea over the abduction issue. Abe said North Korea has asked Japanese officials to visit Pyongyang to learn details of the North's investigation into the fates of Japanese abductees

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Japan abduction minister calls for N. Korea's response

GENEVA, Switzerland - Eriko Yamatani, Japan's state minister in charge of the abduction issue, says in her keynote speech at an international symposium at the U.N.'s European headquarters in Geneva on Sept. 10, 2014, that North Korea must take serious and concrete steps to solve its past abductions of Japanese nationals while holding a picture of Megumi Yokota, one of the Japanese abductees.

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Abe reshuffles Cabinet

TOKYO, Japan - Eriko Yamatani, newly appointed as chair of the National Public Safety Commission and minister in charge of the abduction issue, enters the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Sept. 3, 2014.

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Abduction issue council meeting in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Keiji Furuya (standing), minister in charge of the abduction issue, speaks at a meeting of the Liaison Council of Government and Ruling and Opposition Parties Institutions for Measures against Abduction Issue in Tokyo on July 29, 2014.

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Fukui group's picture story on abduction issue

FUKUI, Japan - Kinichi Ikeda (R), chairman of a group supporting families of citizens kidnapped by North Korea, is seen in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, on July 8, 2014, with a picture story to help children understand the issue. The group asked volunteers to make the picture story.

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Japan finalizes decision to ease sanctions on N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enters his office in Tokyo on July 4, 2014. His Cabinet formally decided to lift some of Japan's unilateral sanctions on North Korea after determining that Pyongyang is preparing to tackle the abduction issue in earnest.

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Japan, N. Korea discuss details of new panel on abduction issue

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara, the head of Asian affairs at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, meets the press at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, China, on July 1, 2014, following a bilateral meeting with North Korea. Officials of the two countries discussed the specifics of Pyongyang's promised establishment of a new panel that will look into its abductions of Japanese nationals.