THINK: North Korea Abduction Info

Imagine yourself on a date with your lover on a beautiful sandy beach, or walking down the street to your local grocery store. Suddenly you are grabbed, blindfolded, gagged, and stuffed in a bag. You are taken on a small boat and later on a cargo vessel to a land where nobody speaks your language and no one allows you to contact your family for a quarter of a century.

That's what happened to the citizens of Japan. They were abducted by the North Koreans under the order of their leader, Kim Jong Il. And WE WANT THEM BACK.

On September 17, 2002, Chairman Kim Jong Il, after denying the fact for decades, finally admitted to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that North Korea had abducted Japanese nationals. Why did he admit it? Because he wants our food. He wants our money.

5 of them returned on October 5, 2002, after 24 long years. ONLY 5 of them. And the North Korean leader said, without showing any credible evidence, that 8 others had died because of illness and accidents and added that there were no more abduction cases. He is not allowing families of the 5 survivors, including former American soldier Mr. Charles Robert Jenkins of North Carolina, to come and rejoin their loved ones in Japan.

There are many, many more Japanese who believe their family have been abducted by North Korea. Investigative Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea(COMJAN), a citizens group looking into the issue, recently submitted a list of approximately 200 citizens who have disappeared between 1953 to 1997 to the National Police Agency and urged for investigation.

We, as Japanese, want to retrieve every one of our citizens as soon as possible.

Please look through this website and find out more about this terrible act by a terrorist nation headed by a dictator. Please tell everyone about what's going on in Asia.

Addendum (July 11, 2004):
On May 22, 2004, Kim Jong-Il met with Prime Minister Koizumi in Pyongyang and returned the 5 children of 2 couples repatriated in 2002. The Chimuras and the Hasuikes had to endure 24 years for their own rescue, and then another year and 7 months to rejoin their children. Remaining returnee Ms. Soga and her family were reunited in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 9, 2004, but it is still uncertain where the family can settle down.

The abduction issue is far from over. The whereabouts of Ms. Soga's mother Miyoshi, who was also abducted, is still unknown. North Korea hasn't come up yet with a plausible explanation about the "deaths" of 10 abductees including Miyoshi which Kim Jong-Il promised PM Koizumi in May. The investigation for as many as 100 to 400 possible victims hasn't even started.

Addendum (September 23, 2007):
5 years have passed since the day Kim Jong Il admitted the abduction of Japanese nationals. In the 5 years, 5 victims and their family members (1 spouse and 7 children) have returned, but no more. North Korea claims the case is taken care of and shows no will to make any more changes. We need to be quick, because the parents of the yet-to-return victims are approaching their 70's and 80's. We want to welcome the victims back to their homeland before their loving parents pass away. Seriously.

The Advocacy Ad in the New York Times (December 23, 2002)
VIEW THE AD IN: A MUST SEE!	Flash without sound
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Abductees' kin went overseas to speak out. Group 1 visited L.A. (Apr. 16-23, 2003) and talked to citizens on 17, 19 and 20. Group 2 spoke at the U.N. Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneve (Apr. 20-24) . Details.

Find out what happened to each victim. Read "How it all happened -- stories behind each of the cases" , the first detailed information on the abduction cases in the English language. (Revised February 10, 2004)A MUST READ!

Make a donation to support the victims. Visit COMJAN website" Details.

About THINK:
THINK is a non-profit, non-political organization based in Tokyo, Japan. It is a spin-off of the "Advocacy ad in the New York Times" movement led by the Group of Seven Individuals. Our mission is to provide precise and unbiased information about abductions by North Korea in the English language. THINK cooperates with R-NET, Denno-Hokan Roku and the Blue Ribbon Sticker Group in supporting Sukuu Kai (National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea), Kazoku Kai (Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea), and Tokutei Shissousha Mondai Chousa Kai (Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Kidnapped to North Korea, or COMJAN).	-H O M E-

About THINK:

THINK is a non-profit, non-political organization based in Tokyo, Japan. It is a spin-off of the "Advocacy ad in the New York Times" movement led by the Group of Seven Individuals. Our mission is to provide precise and unbiased information about abductions by North Korea in the English language. THINK cooperates with R-NET, Denno-Hokan Roku and the Blue Ribbon Sticker Group in supporting Sukuu Kai (National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea), Kazoku Kai (Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea), and Tokutei Shissousha Mondai Chousa Kai (Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Kidnapped to North Korea, or COMJAN).

-H O M E-