In 1977, Yokota Sakie’s daughter Megumi, who was 13 at the time, was abducted by North Korean agents in Niigata, northern central Japan.

Sakie, who was 41 then, has since campaigned for Megumi’s rescue for nearly half a century along with her husband Shigeru, who passed away in 2020.

The mother turned 90 years old on February 4, but her daughter has not yet returned.

S/ Yokota Sakie / My true feeling right now is simply that I want her back. I know it is difficult for the government, but I want them to work on it as if their lives depended on it.

At a press conference in January, Sakie said Japan must resolve the abduction issue.

She expressed her desire to go to North Korea with the Japanese prime minister if a bilateral summit were to take place.

As for her health status, Sakie said she does not have any issues, but admitted that she is gradually getting weaker.

Sakie also said she cannot imagine Megumi at her current age of 61.

Megumi is one of 17 Japanese nationals the government recognizes as having been abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.