In North Korea, the abducted were involved in preparing intelligence operations.
Relatives of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea continue to call for the swift return of all victims. Nearly 50 years have passed since the first confirmed case of abduction recognized by the Japanese government, which occurred in 1977. The relatives of the abducted are aging, and some family members have died without being reunited with their loved ones.
Yokota Sakie, who will turn 90 this year, is the mother of Yokota Megumi, who was abducted at the age of 13. Sakie is the only surviving parent of the 12 recognized by the government as abducted, whose fate remains unknown. Arimoto Akihiro, whose daughter Keiko was abducted and has not yet returned, died in February last year at the age of 96.
The families of the abducted are closely watching whether U.S. President Donald Trump will hold another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. During his first term, Trump raised the issue of abductions during personal talks with Kim in 2018 and 2019.
The relatives of the abduction victims are also determined to continue pressuring the Japanese government to organize a summit with North Korea. Attention is focused on what specific measures the government will take to bring all abducted individuals back home while representatives of their parents' generation are still alive.
Yokota Takuya, head of the group of families of abducted Japanese, and younger brother of Megumi, gave an interview to NHK and expressed his hopes for 2026.
He urged Prime Minister Takahichi Sanae to organize a summit with Kim Jong Un as soon as possible. Yokota expressed hope that she would use her words even more effectively. He said he wants Takahichi to put all her passion into her words, demanding the return of all victims, and to send a clear signal that then both countries can build a positive future.
Most of the abducted had no connection to politics.
In North Korea, the abducted were involved in preparing intelligence operations on Japanese territory (in particular, teaching Japanese language and culture to spies). Abductions are one of the few cases of human rights violations in North Korea officially acknowledged by the North Korean authorities: in 2002, during a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi to North Korea, Kim Jong Il acknowledged 13 of the 17 abductions (stating, however, that they were carried out without the approval of the highest leadership of North Korea), after which five abducted Japanese returned home. Subsequently, five family members of theirs also moved from Korea to Japan (including children born in North Korea).
The fate of the remaining abducted individuals remains unknown. North Korea claims that they either died in North Korea or simply denies its involvement in the disappearance of the person. In Japan, many suspect that at least some of these people are alive and have not been released due to state secrets they possess. The issue of abductions continues to play an important role in Japan-North Korea relations.
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