Photo/Illutration Sakie Yokota, mother of North Korean abductee Megumi Yokota, recounts a memory of her daughter giving her a gift during a news conference in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct. 3. (Ryuichi Kitano)

Megumi Yokota was in her first year of junior high school when North Korean agents abducted her 47 years ago.

Ahead of her missing daughter's 60th birthday on Oct. 5, her mother told reporters that she prays Megumi is safe. 

“I can’t move if I don’t believe that Megumi is doing well. Please live well until the end,” Sakie Yokota said, her voice choked, during an Oct. 3 news conference.

North Korea has admitted to kidnapping her daughter in November 1977 when Megumi was on her way home from afterschool club activities.

The Japanese government says Megumi is one of at least 17 citizens abducted for the purpose of teaching North Korean spies the Japanese language and customs.

“I wonder what my life was, as I kept feeling emptiness for 47 years,” Sakie said.

Her husband, Shigeru, passed away when he was 87 in 2020.

Japan does not accept North Korea's claim that Megumi is dead and negotiations remain at a deadlock.

Sakie also brought a trinket from her daughter to the news conference. A small vase holds the memory of when Megumi was a fifth-grader in elementary school.

Her mother said Megumi brought it back for her as a souvenir after a trip to Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, for a school event.

“Megumi said, ‘I thought you would like it. It’s a bit small, though,’ and gave it to me. I love it and I display it carefully,” Sakie said. 

In the past, Sakie used to celebrate Megumi's birthday with a whole cake, but has only picked up a few pieces in recent years. 

When asked what she would say to Megumi if they were reunited, Sakie answered, “I just want to hold her tight without words. I just want her to come back home. That’s it.”

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