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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited a photo exhibition related to the abduction issue, “ABDUCTION, A state Crime by North Korea – A family album,” held at the First Members' Office Building of the House of Representatives, and viewed photos with the guidance of Mr. Shigeru Yokota and his wife.
The Prime Minister said in his address,
“I would like to express my gratitude to the many ambassadors and members of the Diet who have come today to this photo exhibition on Ms. Megumi Yokota.
Twelve years have passed since I visited North Korea with then Prime Minister Koizumi. Twelve years have passed, and when I think back on that time in 2002, I do not think of the meeting I had with Prime Minister Koizumi and then Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission Kim Jong-Il.
No, I think about the time after that, in October, when five abductees returned to Japan and disembarked their plane at Haneda Airport.
Under the clear blue sky that day, those five abductees were reunited with their families, and they embraced them with tears streaming from their eyes.
As Chairs of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN), Mr. Shigeru Yokota and his wife were there too. And as Chairs of the AFVKN, they took many pictures to capture the events that day. And yet both were crying. For on that day, they were forced to come to terms with a sad reality, the reality that their daughter Megumi was not there.
I will tell you what I thought at that time. I realized that I must do everything I possibly can to bring about the day when Mr. Yokota and his wife, when Shigeru and Sakie, can hold their daughter in their own arms. My mission, our mission, will not be complete until that day. That was my strong and heartfelt pledge.
Just as we heard from Mr. and Mrs. Yokota a moment ago, the two of them have overcome painful emotions amidst very difficult hardships, all while fighting to this very day for the return of Megumi.
Some time ago, with the cooperation of Mongolia, the two were able to meet their granddaughter Eun Kyung in Ulaanbaatar. I do not believe that this is the end of this matter. It is just the beginning.
North Korea promised some time ago that it would investigate all abductees and all missing people whose possibility of being abducted cannot be ruled out.
We will further negotiate with the North Korean side and strongly encourage them to further engage on this issue in a sincere manner, so that every abductee, including Ms Megumi Yokota, will be returned to Japan. We will do everything we can.
I want to thank everyone from each country that has cooperated with us on the abduction issue and supported us up to today, and I ask for the continued cooperation of the people of every country so that we can resolve this issue.
I would like to conclude my remarks as Prime Minister by pledging that the Government will exert every effort for the resolution of the abduction issue.
Thank you very much.”