Abductions of Japanese Citizens By Dprk

Floor Speech

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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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