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Japanese abductees before 10th anniv. of return home

NIIGATA, Japan - Kaoru Hasuike (L) and his wife Yukiko, two of the five Japanese abductees repatriated to Japan from North Korea on Oct. 15, 2002, hold a press conference in the city hall of Kashiwazaki on the Sea of Japan coast in Niigata Prefecture on Oct. 13, 2012, ahead of the 10th anniversary of their return home.

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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 isolated abductee Hasuike from society in late 1990s

KASHIWAZAKI, JHapan - Kaoru Hasuike, one of five abductees repatriated from North Korea, speaks with reporters in his hometown of Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, on May 25. Hasuike said he was kept isolated in the North during the late 1990s when the abduction of Japanese citizens was becoming an increasingly important issue in Japan.

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Hasuikes arrive at Kashiwazaki home

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan - Kaoru Hasuike (R) speaks to supporters and neighbors in front of his house in Kashiwazaki, Nikata Prefecture, May 23 after arriving there with his wife Yukiko (L), and their two children. Kaoru and Yukiko, two of five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, were reunited with their children on the previous night in Tokyo.

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(1)Hasuikes, Soga leave for hometowns in Niigata Pref.

TOKYO, Japan - Hitomi Soga (L), one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea, leaves a Tokyo hotel May 23 for her hometown in Niigata Prefecture. Soga was unable to reunite with her American husband, Charles Jenkins, 64, and their two daughters because they declined to come to Japan.

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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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Koizumi to bring 5 of 8 abductees' kin to Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Women look at an extra newspaper issue in Tokyo's Yurakucho district May 22 reporting that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will bring five of the eight family members of five repatriated Japanese abductees to Japan.

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Koizumi vows to pick up abductees' kin, eyes cooperative ties

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro speaks to reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport before boarding a government plane for Pyongyang. Koizumi vowed to make utmost efforts to bring the family members of five repatriated abductees to Japan.

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Koizumi seeking to bring home kin of abductees

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi speaks at his office on May 21 about his visit to Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, hoping to bring to Japan eight family members of five repatriated abductees and gain convincing accounts of the fates of 10 other abductees.

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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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Ex-abductees hail plan for Koizumi visit Pyongyang

TOYAMA, Japan - Toru Hasuike, a relative of one five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea, said in Toyama May 9 he wants Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to visit Pyongyang to pick up their abductee relatives.

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(3)Koizumi does not rule out another trip to N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka (fore) and Mitoji Yabunaka, director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, emerge from a meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the prime minister's office on May 6. The premier later did not rule out the possibility of his revisit to North Korea to bring the kin of five repatriated Japanese abductees to Japan.

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Soga receives donations from abductees support group

MANO, Japan - Hitomi Soga (L), one of five Japanese repatriated in October 2002 after being kidnapped to North Korea in 1978, receives donations on April 12 from Harunori Kojima (R), of a support group for abductees in Niigata Prefecture, at the town hall in her hometown of Mano, Niigata.

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Hasuike begins job at welfare facility

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan - Yukiko Hasuike (R), one of five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea last year, starts her job at a Kashiwazaki city government welfare facility in Niigata Prefecture on Feb. 18. She will work part-time before becoming a full-time employee in April (Pool photo)

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N. Korea abduction issue

Hitomi Soga (facing camera), one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, collects signatures in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Aug. 19, 2022, in an attempt to save those abducted by North Korean agents.

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N. Korea abduction issue

Hitomi Soga (R), one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, collects signatures in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Aug. 19, 2022, in an attempt to save those abducted by North Korean agents.

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Hitomi Soga talks about N. Korea abduction issue

Hitomi Soga, one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, speaks to junior high school students in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on April 26, 2022. Soga voiced concern that the abduction issue might be forgotten as a thing of the past.

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Hitomi Soga talks about N. Korea abduction issue

Hitomi Soga, one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, speaks to junior high school students in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on April 26, 2022. Soga voiced concern that the abduction issue might be forgotten as a thing of the past.

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N. Korea isolated abductee Hasuike from society in late 1990s

KASHIWAZAKI, JHapan - Kaoru Hasuike, one of five abductees repatriated from North Korea, speaks with reporters in his hometown of Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, on May 25. Hasuike said he was kept isolated in the North during the late 1990s when the abduction of Japanese citizens was becoming an increasingly important issue in Japan. (Kyodo)

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Koizumi seeking to bring home kin of abductees

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi speaks at his office on May 21 about his visit to Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, hoping to bring to Japan eight family members of five repatriated abductees and gain convincing accounts of the fates of 10 other abductees. (Kyodo)

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Koizumi vows to pick up abductees' kin, eyes cooperative ties

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro speaks to reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport before boarding a government plane for Pyongyang. Koizumi vowed to make utmost efforts to bring the family members of five repatriated abductees to Japan. (Kyodo)

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(1)Hasuikes, Soga leave for hometowns in Niigata Pref.

TOKYO, Japan - Hitomi Soga (L), one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea, leaves a Tokyo hotel May 23 for her hometown in Niigata Prefecture. Soga was unable to reunite with her American husband, Charles Jenkins, 64, and their two daughters because they declined to come to Japan. (Kyodo)

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Koizumi to bring 5 of 8 abductees' kin to Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Women look at an extra newspaper issue in Tokyo's Yurakucho district May 22 reporting that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will bring five of the eight family members of five repatriated Japanese abductees to Japan. (Kyodo)

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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. (Kyodo)

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Japanese abductee Soga, U.S. Army deserter Jenkins

Combined photo shows Hitomi Soga (L), one of five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, and her husband Charles Jenkins. The former U.S. Army sergeant died of arrhythmia in Japan on Dec. 11, 2017, at age 77. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Wake of U.S. Army deserter who wed Japanese abductee in N. Korea

Hitomi Soga (R), one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, carries her husband Charles Jenkins' ashes to a funeral hall in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 14, 2017. Jenkins, a former U.S. soldier who deserted to North Korea and married Soga there, died of arrhythmia in Japan on Dec. 11 at age 77. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Wake of U.S. Army deserter who wed Japanese abductee in N. Korea

People attend the wake of Charles Jenkins, a former U.S. soldier who deserted to North Korea, in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 14, 2017. Jenkins, who married Hitomi Soga, one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, died of arrhythmia in Japan on Dec. 11 at age 77. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Wake of U.S. Army deserter who wed Japanese abductee in N. Korea

Hitomi Soga (R), one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, carries her husband Charles Jenkins' ashes to a funeral hall in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 14, 2017. Jenkins, a former U.S. soldier who deserted to North Korea and married Soga there, died of arrhythmia in Japan on Dec. 11 at age 77. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Wake of U.S. Army deserter who wed Japanese abductee in N. Korea

Hitomi Soga, one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, carries her husband Charles Jenkins' ashes to a funeral hall in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 14, 2017. Jenkins, a former U.S. soldier who deserted to North Korea and married Soga there, died of arrhythmia in Japan on Dec. 11 at age 77. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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40 years since N. Korea's abduction of Japanese woman

Hitomi Soga, one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea in 2002, speaks to an audience in Niigata on Nov. 15, 2017, the day fellow abductee Megumi Yokota was taken by North Korean agents 40 years ago at age 13. Soga shared memories of a brief period when she lived with Yokota in North Korea and called for continued efforts to realize the return of Yokota and other abduction victims to Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan to make "every effort" to repatriate abductees: top spokesman

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga takes a question from a reporter during a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 14, 2017. North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals is a top-priority issue, and the government will make every effort, Suga said. None of the abductees have returned since five were repatriated in 2002, following a historic visit to Pyongyang by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Returned abductee seeks early resolution of N. Korea abduction issue

Hitomi Soga, one of five Japanese abductees repatriated to Japan from North Korea in 2002, collects signatures seeking an early resolution of the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Aug. 18, 2017. Soga was abducted to North Korea in 1978 with her mother Miyoshi, who is still missing. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Returned abductee seeks early resolution of N. Korea abduction issue

Hitomi Soga, one of the five Japanese abductees repatriated to Japan from North Korea in 2002, speaks to reporters in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Aug. 18, 2017. Soga attended an event to collect signatures seeking an early resolution of the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals. Soga was abducted to North Korea in 1978 with her mother Miyoshi, who is still missing. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Signature-collecting campaign to rescue Japanese abducted to N. Korea

Hitomi Soga (L), one of the five abductees repatriated to Japan from North Korea in 2002, collects signatures in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 10, 2016, calling on the Japanese government to take action to rescue those abducted to North Korea, including her mother Miyoshi. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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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. (Kyodo)

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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. (Kyodo)

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Ex-abductees hail plan for Koizumi visit Pyongyang

TOYAMA, Japan - Toru Hasuike, a relative of one five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea, said in Toyama May 9 he wants Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to visit Pyongyang to pick up their abductee relatives. (Kyodo)

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(3)Koizumi does not rule out another trip to N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka (fore) and Mitoji Yabunaka, director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, emerge from a meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the prime minister's office on May 6. The premier later did not rule out the possibility of his revisit to North Korea to bring the kin of five repatriated Japanese abductees to Japan. (Kyodo)

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Soga receives donations from abductees support group

MANO, Japan - Hitomi Soga (L), one of five Japanese repatriated in October 2002 after being kidnapped to North Korea in 1978, receives donations on April 12 from Harunori Kojima (R), of a support group for abductees in Niigata Prefecture, at the town hall in her hometown of Mano, Niigata. (Kyodo)

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Hasuike begins job at welfare facility

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan - Yukiko Hasuike (R), one of five Japanese abductees repatriated from North Korea last year, starts her job at a Kashiwazaki city government welfare facility in Niigata Prefecture on Feb. 18. She will work part-time before becoming a full-time employee in April (Pool photo)(Kyodo)