[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 121 (Thursday, July 25, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CALLING FOR JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR JAPANESE CITIZENS ABDUCTED 
                             BY NORTH KOREA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JILL N. TOKUDA

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 25, 2024

  Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, for over forty-six years, Sakie Yokota has 
waited for the return of her daughter, Megumi Yokota, who, at 13 years 
old, was kidnapped while coming home from school.
  For over forty-three years, Shigeo Iizuka waited for the return of 
his sister, Yaeko Taguchi, who vanished after dropping off her one- and 
two-year-old children at daycare. Yaeko's children never had the chance 
to grow up with her.
  These heart-wrenching stories are not isolated cases of the past but 
are part of a decades-long tragedy that continues to haunt families 
across Japan.
  Today, I rise to address the abductions of Japanese citizens by North 
Korea in the 1970s and 80s and call for resolution and closure for 
affected families. The Government of Japan has officially recognized 17 
missing people as victims of North Korean abductions. Many of these 
victims were in their twenties at the time of their disappearance. 
While North Korea admitted to these abductions and released five 
victims in the early 2000s, the fates of the remaining 12 abductees 
remain a mystery. The North Korean regime continues to obscure the 
truth and deny closure to grieving families.
  Since 2002, Japan has engaged in numerous dialogues, negotiations, 
and diplomatic efforts to uncover the fates of the remaining abductees. 
North Korea claims that eight victims died while four never entered the 
territory. The regime has provided purported death certificates for the 
eight deceased victims, who were in their 20s and 30s, citing causes of 
death like heart attacks, traffic accidents, gas poisoning, and 
suicide. However, Japanese investigations have revealed glaring 
contradictions and errors in North Korea's reports. The regime's lack 
of transparency and inability to provide concrete, objective evidence 
to corroborate such unnatural causes of death have raised questions 
regarding the fate of these abductees. Even DNA testing on alleged 
remains has failed to match the identities of the victims. North Korea 
continues to argue that they have provided all necessary information 
and that there is nothing further to discuss.
  As the decades passed, many relatives of the abductees like Shigeo 
Iizuka have passed away without ever knowing the fate of their loved 
ones. The longer this issue remains unresolved, the greater the anguish 
of the families involved and the risk that the truth will not be 
uncovered within their lifetime. It is unacceptable that these families 
have been deprived of justice for so long.
  But this tragedy extends beyond Japan. International abductions ate a 
serious human rights violation. The United Nations has documented cases 
where North Korea abducted citizens from various countries including 
South Korea, China, Thailand, Romania, and more.
  The United States must stand with its ally Japan and demand justice 
and accountability from North Korea. Nearly 50 years of uncertainty and 
grief needs to come to an end. We cannot allow these violations of 
Japan's sovereignty and international human rights to go unaddressed. 
We must continue to pressure North Korea to disclose the truth about 
these abductees and to immediately release all who are still held 
captive.
  The families of the victims deserve closure and the truth. It is our 
moral obligation to hold North Korea's brutal regime accountable for 
these abductions, bring these abductees home, and ensure every family 
affected finds peace at long last.

                          ____________________