Megumi by Shigeru and Sakie Yokota (Headquarters for the Abduction Issue, Government of Japan)

Megumi is the story of Megumi Yokota written in manga form and translated into English. It was first serialized in the January through July 2005 editions of Manga Action. It is a story almost every Japanese is familiar with. It is a parent’s worst nightmare. One that Shigeru and Sakie Yokota are still living with. 

Megumi is the daughter of Shigeru and Sakie. On November 15, 1977, Megumi disappeared without a trace. She was last seen walking home from school after badminton practice. She was thirteen years old. However, there was no ransom demand from her kidnapper or kidnappers and for twenty long years, Shigeru and Sakie wondered what happened to her. Where is she? Did she run away? Was she in an accident? Is she okay? And the major question remains which they refuse to ask themselves - Is she still alive?

Twenty years later, on January 21, 1997, Shigeru Yokota came home and told his wife something strange happened that day. Shigeru received a call from a man named Tatsukichi Hyomoto who was a secretary to a member of the House of Councillors who told him, “Megumi is alive in North Korea.” The Yokotas thought their nightmare would finally be over. Unfortunately, it was just the beginning of a new nightmare. 

Hyomoto visits with Shigeru Yokota and tells him that back in January 7 of 1980, the Sankei Newspaper featured an article about couples disappearing off the coast of western Japan. Hyomoto has Shigeru read an article from a magazine called Modern Korea written by a man named Kenji Ishidaka from Asahi Broadcasting. He had Shigeru compare the article with an article from the Niigata Nippo describing his daughter’s disappearance. The contents and similarities were too hard to ignore. 

On February 3, 1977, the story of Megumi Yokota’s abduction appeared on the front page of the Sankei Shimbun newspaper and in a magazine called Aera. The articles published a photo of Megumi and printed her full name. On that day, Shigeru said, “Everything changed.” The story of Megumi Yokota was no longer about an unsolved kidnapping case. It has now become a political issue between Japan and North Korea. 

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Il on September 17, 2002 at the Japan-North Korea Summit meeting where he admitted to North Korea abducting in Japanese citizens and sending shock waves throughout Japan. More victims started coming forward and pushed the Japanese government to demand that North Korea send their citizens back to their home country. 

The abduction issue continues to be a major issue between Japan and North Korea. The isolationist country went so far as to tell Japan that Megumi Yokota had died and had sent her bones and ashes as proof. However, a DNA test found that the bones did not belong to Megumi. It’s a gripping and true story that continues even today. The Yokotas still pray for the return of their daughter to her rightful homeland. I keep wondering why the United Nations doesn’t get more involved in resolving this issue. This is not a Japan - North Korea problem. It is a crime against humanity and needs to be dealt with as such. ~Ernie Hoyt