North Korean abductions of Japanese

For other uses of related terms, see Abduction

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North Korea pursued a policy of abduction of Japanese students during the 1970s and 1980s.

Related Topics:
North Korea - Abduction - 1970s - 1980s

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Fifteen are officially recognized by the Japanese Government and around 70 Japanese are suspected. Eleven Japanese disappeared in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Japan and Europe. They were abducted to teach the Japanese language and culture at North Korean spy schools. Older persons were also abducted to obtain their persona and these abductees were believed to be killed quickly. These abductions were long denied by North Korea and were often considered a conspiracy theory by observers, well respected writers, and Communists and Socialists inside Japan.

Related Topics:
Japanese - Japanese language - Conspiracy theory

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Most of the missing were in their 20s although the youngest, Megumi Yokota, was just 13 when she disappeared in November, 1977 from the Japanese west coast city of Niigata. She was among those said to have died.

Related Topics:
November - 1977 - Niigata

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In September, 2002 North Korean leader Kim Jong-il finally admitted the kidnappings to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and allowed five of the abductees to return to Japan. The others are alleged to have died, mostly of natural causes or due to medical problems. Most of their families, however, were being held in North Korea as North Korea demanded that Japan had "broken" the Pyongyang agreement by not returning them to North Korea. The Pyongyang agreement states that "The abductee situation will be resolved completely." without a clear definition of what that is. North Korea demanded that the abductees return to North Korea and confer with their families to decide where they want to live, while Japan demanded unconditional return of all families not limited to those currently claimed to be alive by North Korea.

Related Topics:
September - 2002 - Kim Jong-il - Prime Minister - Junichiro Koizumi - Japan

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In May 2004 five children belonging to abductees were allowed to be reunited with their parents in Japan. Two more followed in July.

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In November 2004, North Korea returned two human remains, stating that these are the remains of Megumi Yokota and Kaoru Matsuki, who died after being abducted in North Korea. However, subsequent DNA testing determined that these remains are not Megumi Yokota nor Kaoru Matsuki as claimed by North Korea. This mistake - intentional or not - put further pressure on the relations between Japan and North Korea.

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