Mother of abducted Megumi Yokota speaks before daughter's 62nd birthday

Sakie Yokota, aged 90, addressed the media on October 1 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, reflecting on the 1977 abduction of her 13-year-old daughter Megumi by North Korean agents. She voiced the pain of not hearing her daughter's voice after nearly half a century and described the memory of teaching Megumi a simple knitting technique that produced a scarf she wore only once. The family continues to seek answers, highlighted by a recent U.S. visit by Megumi's brother Takuya, who leads the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, and by Koichiro Iizuka, son of another abductee.

Their trip included meetings with U.S. officials and reaffirmed a willingness to cooperate on the abduction issue. At a Japan-U.S. summit, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi noted receiving full support from President Donald Trump for resolving the cases. Sakie said she will quietly pray for Megumi's safe return on the upcoming birthday.