Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Saturday expressed his resolve to end the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago.
“I should be the last minister in charge of the abduction issue,” Kihara said at a rally held in the central Japan city of Niigata on the day that 13-year-old Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Korea 48 years ago.
Kihara emphasized that he aims for the return of all abductees, regardless of whether they have been officially recognized as those abducted by North Korea.
“We’ll do everything we can with strong determination,” he said.
Yokota’s mother, Sakie, attended the rally remotely. “I hope that everyone works together to resolve the issue so that we’ll be able to hear screams of delight (over abductees returning to Japan) throughout the country,” she said.
