Mother of Abductee Megumi Yokota Eager for Reunion

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--The mother of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese woman abducted to North Korea at age 13 in 1977, continues praying for a reunion with her daughter, with her loved one turning 62 on Monday.

"There has been no information (about Megumi) for the 50 years (since she went missing)," the 90-year-old mother, Sakie, has told reporters. "I just want her to stay alive."

Sakie had prepared a birthday cake for Megumi every year. But the mother stopped the custom a few years ago. "It's painful to do what I did when we were happy. She is not here with me."

The mother said she talks to a portrait of her husband, Shigeru, who died six years ago at age 87, every day, telling him, "Watch us over until Megumi comes back."

Sakie sometimes falls ill and suffers injuries due to her old age. Still, she continues her activities to bring back her daughter, saying, "I have no choice but to do what I can every day."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]