Man whose daughter was kidnapped by Pyongyang in 1983 dies
Akihiro Arimoto, father of Keiko, one of the 17 people captured by North Korean agents between 1977 and 1983 according to the Japanese government, dies at 96. His death leaves Sakie Yokota as the only surviving parent of kidnap victims; her daughter Megumi was taken when she was 14.
Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Akihiro Arimoto, the father of a Japanese woman kidnapped by North Korean agents in 1983, has died at the age of 96, after years of fighting for his daughter's return.
Keiko Arimoto, who was 23 at the time and studying in Britain, is one of 17 people officially recognised by the Japanese government as victims of kidnappings by North Korea between 1977 and 1983.
Arimoto died on Saturday of natural causes, his family said. His wife, Kayoko, who had dedicated her life to the same cause, died in 2020 at the age of 94.
The couple had been very active in the fight for the return of kidnapped Japanese citizens, creating, among other things, an association for victims’ families in 1997.
Over the years, Akihiro Arimoto had met with several world leaders to raise awareness in the international community about the plight of Japanese abductees. In 2017 he spoke with Donald Trump and in 2022, he met with Joe Biden.
The issue of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea officially emerged in 2002 when North Korean leader Kim Jong-il confirmed the kidnappings for the first time during a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, saying that the hostages were being used to train spies to speak Japanese and infiltrate South Korea.
On that occasion, five victims were repatriated to Japan. Pyongyang also claimed that eight Japanese, including Keiko, had died and four had never entered the country.
Arimoto had always rejected this version, claiming that his daughter was still alive.
With his death, the only surviving parent among abductees’ relatives is Sakie Yokota, mother of Megumi Yokota, kidnapped in 1977 at the age of 14, who reiterated her commitment to “continue to do everything possible I can while I am alive.”
In January, the 88-year-old appealed to US President Donald Trump asking him to intervene to bring his daughter and other victims home.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a parliamentary committee that Arimoto's death was “truly regrettable,” adding that the government “will use every available means to repatriate abduction victims as soon as possible.”
The issue has generated some frustration in Japan. In August 2024, a group sent some USB sticks with balloons to North Korea with a video about the kidnappings, to get information to North Korean citizens and keep up the pressure, a tactic often used by North Korean defectors from South Korea.
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