Mother of Abductee Megumi Yokota Laments over No Solution

Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref., Nov. 12 (Jiji Press)--The mother of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese woman abducted to North Korea 47 years ago, on Tuesday lamented why she could not return home for such a long period.

"I wonder why this issue has dragged on so long," the 88-year-old mother, Sakie, said at a press conference in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, where she lives.

Megumi was abducted on Nov. 15, 1977, at the age of 13 on her way home from school in the city of Niigata, central Japan.

"I can't see anything for so long that I don't want to say 47 years," Sakie said. "I would like people to think how they would feel if they were left alone after their child suddenly vanished like smoke."

Sakie, who was hospitalized last year due to ill health, said that she gets tired easily after turning 88. "I'm doing my best just to help (Megumi), but I'm getting worried," she said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]