[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 121 (Thursday, July 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H4919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ABDUCTIONS OF JAPANESE CITIZENS BY DPRK

  (Ms. TOKUDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the abductions of 
Japanese citizens by North Korea since the 1970s and call for 
resolution and closure for affected families who have waited for over 
four decades for answers.
  Japan has officially recognized 17 missing people as victims of North 
Korean abductions. Most of them were in their twenties, but Megumi 
Yokota was just 13.
  While North Korea admitted to these abductions and released five 
victims in the early 2000s, the fates of the remaining 12 are unknown.
  North Korea claims without concrete evidence that eight victims died 
of unnatural causes, such as traffic accidents and gas poisoning, while 
four never entered the territory. Glaring contradictions in North 
Korea's reports raise doubts about the fate of these abductees.
  Meanwhile, relatives of the abductees have passed away waiting for 
resolution. I met family members and felt their pain as they held 
decades-old pictures of their loved ones.
  These unresolved abductions are grave injustices that undermine 
international law and human rights.
  We must support Japan in demanding justice and end decades of grief 
and uncertainty for these families. We must hold North Korea 
accountable, bring the abductees home, and give aging loved ones the 
peace they deserve.

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