現地記者会見決定(2001/02/22)
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救う会全国協議会ニュース
発行：北朝鮮に拉致された日本人を救出するための全国協議会
TEL 03-3946-5780/FAX 03-3944-5692 http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~lj7k-ark
〒112-0015 東京都文京区目白台3-25-13
担当：荒木和博（事務局長 k-araki@mac.email.ne.jp）
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恐縮ですが送信を希望されない方は荒木のＩＤ宛メールをお送り下さい。
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
報道関係各位
■現地記者会見決定
現地で行う記者会見の日程が決まりました。
2月26日（月）14:00（米国東部標準時間）
場所・ナショナルプレスクラブ（各社支局のあるビルです）
取材等よろしくお願いします。
※米国在住の方々へ
もちろん、日本に住んでおられる方々でも結構ですが、米国のマスコミにぜひ取材
するようメールを出して戴ければ幸いです。以下、団構成と声明文を掲載します。ご
協力をよろしくお願いします。
Mission to the United States on behalf of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN) and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN)
Delegate:
Shigeru YOKOTA
AFVKN Chairperson
Father of Megumi Yokota
First Deputy Delegate:
Hatsui HASUIKE
AFVKN member
Mother of Kaoru Hasuike
Deputy Delegates:
Tamotsu CHIMURA
AFVKN member
Father of Yasushi Chimura
Tsutomu NISHIOKA
NARKN Executive Committee member
Chairperson of the Tokyo Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (TokyoARKN) Professor at Tokyo Christian University
Assistant Delegates:
Kayoko ARIMOTO
AFVKN member
Mother of Keiko Arimoto
Yukou HAMAMOTO
AFVKN member
Brother of Fukie Hamamoto
Hidekazu HASUIKE
AFVKN member
Father of Kaoru Hasuike
Yoichi SHIMADA
NARKN Executive Committee member
Associate Professor at Fukui Prefectural University
Sakie YOKOTA
AFVKN member
Mother of Megumi Yokota
Assistant Delegate and Chief Secretary:
Kazuhiro ARAKI
NARKN Secretary General
Associate Professor at Takushoku University
Assistant Delegate and Deputy Secretary:
Yoshitaka FUKUI
NARKN member
Associate Professor at Tohoku University
An Appeal on the Occasion of Sending a Mission to the United States
We have organized a mission to the United States from February 25 to March 3, 2001, in order to appeal to the American public, the U.S. Government, and, through the United Nations, the international community, for their understanding of the problem of North Korea’s kidnapping of innocent people and to ask for their help.
Since the case of Ms. Megumi Yokota was made public four years ago, many ordinary Japanese citizens have joined with the families of the victims of kidnapping to help rescue their loved ones. Although we are not totally satisfied with the policies of the Japanese Government toward North Korea, the government is making a serious effort to resolve the problem. However, we have not been able to change the attitude of the North Korean government, which continues to deny its knowledge of such kidnappings.
The Japanese government officially confirms that North Korean agents have kidnapped ten Japanese citizens. Moreover, a government official implied on February 13, 2001, in testimony before the Japanese Diet that other Japanese, in addition to the aforementioned ten people, have been kidnapped by North Korea. We estimate that approximately seventy Japanese have been kidnapped by North Korea. The victims have not been limited to Japanese, either. The South Korean Government confirms 487 Koreans have been kidnapped. A North Korean defector testified that he saw people of various nationalities in an agent training center. This is not an unfounded
accusation: Lebanese women were kidnapped in 1977, and later released. We can never forgive the kidnappings by North Korea, the epitome of a terrorist state and violator of human rights.
The Clinton Administration attempted to ”engage” North Korea. The South Korean Government under President Kim Dae Jung is pursuing its Sunshine Policy toward the North. The Japanese Government has sent food aid and held normalization negotiations with North Korea, in order to maintain trilateral cooperation. Though a dialogue between the two Koreas has started, we have yet to see any material progress in resolving serious problems such as that of the abduction of Japanese and South Korean citizens. We believe that only a resolute stance can prevent terrorism and the violation of human rights. In this regard, we expect the Bush Administration to plan and implement policies toward North Korea with a full understanding of the North Korea’s record of kidnapping Japanese and Koreans, as well as its other criminal behavior.
The family members participating this mission are all in their 60s and 70s. We are dissatisfied with the current situation in which these older people have to go to the Unites States and appeal directly to the public there. We believe the Japanese people and government should bring about the return of the kidnapped themselves. However, we could not meet our self-imposed deadline for bringing all the kidnapped home, the end of the last millennium. We have little time left. We are determined to make every effort to rescue the kidnapped. We appeal to Americans, Japanese and, indeed, people throughout the world who seek the realization of freedom, peace, and human rights, to help us rescue the kidnapped.
February 19, 2001
Shigeru YOKOTA
Chairperson, Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea
Katsumi SATO
Chairperson, National Association for the Rescue of
救う会全国協議会ニュース
発行：北朝鮮に拉致された日本人を救出するための全国協議会
TEL 03-3946-5780/FAX 03-3944-5692 http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~lj7k-ark
〒112-0015 東京都文京区目白台3-25-13
担当：荒木和博（事務局長 k-araki@mac.email.ne.jp）
----------------------------------------------------------------------
恐縮ですが送信を希望されない方は荒木のＩＤ宛メールをお送り下さい。
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
報道関係各位
■現地記者会見決定
現地で行う記者会見の日程が決まりました。
2月26日（月）14:00（米国東部標準時間）
場所・ナショナルプレスクラブ（各社支局のあるビルです）
取材等よろしくお願いします。
※米国在住の方々へ
もちろん、日本に住んでおられる方々でも結構ですが、米国のマスコミにぜひ取材
するようメールを出して戴ければ幸いです。以下、団構成と声明文を掲載します。ご
協力をよろしくお願いします。
Mission to the United States on behalf of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN) and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN)
Delegate:
Shigeru YOKOTA
AFVKN Chairperson
Father of Megumi Yokota
First Deputy Delegate:
Hatsui HASUIKE
AFVKN member
Mother of Kaoru Hasuike
Deputy Delegates:
Tamotsu CHIMURA
AFVKN member
Father of Yasushi Chimura
Tsutomu NISHIOKA
NARKN Executive Committee member
Chairperson of the Tokyo Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (TokyoARKN) Professor at Tokyo Christian University
Assistant Delegates:
Kayoko ARIMOTO
AFVKN member
Mother of Keiko Arimoto
Yukou HAMAMOTO
AFVKN member
Brother of Fukie Hamamoto
Hidekazu HASUIKE
AFVKN member
Father of Kaoru Hasuike
Yoichi SHIMADA
NARKN Executive Committee member
Associate Professor at Fukui Prefectural University
Sakie YOKOTA
AFVKN member
Mother of Megumi Yokota
Assistant Delegate and Chief Secretary:
Kazuhiro ARAKI
NARKN Secretary General
Associate Professor at Takushoku University
Assistant Delegate and Deputy Secretary:
Yoshitaka FUKUI
NARKN member
Associate Professor at Tohoku University
An Appeal on the Occasion of Sending a Mission to the United States
We have organized a mission to the United States from February 25 to March 3, 2001, in order to appeal to the American public, the U.S. Government, and, through the United Nations, the international community, for their understanding of the problem of North Korea’s kidnapping of innocent people and to ask for their help.
Since the case of Ms. Megumi Yokota was made public four years ago, many ordinary Japanese citizens have joined with the families of the victims of kidnapping to help rescue their loved ones. Although we are not totally satisfied with the policies of the Japanese Government toward North Korea, the government is making a serious effort to resolve the problem. However, we have not been able to change the attitude of the North Korean government, which continues to deny its knowledge of such kidnappings.
The Japanese government officially confirms that North Korean agents have kidnapped ten Japanese citizens. Moreover, a government official implied on February 13, 2001, in testimony before the Japanese Diet that other Japanese, in addition to the aforementioned ten people, have been kidnapped by North Korea. We estimate that approximately seventy Japanese have been kidnapped by North Korea. The victims have not been limited to Japanese, either. The South Korean Government confirms 487 Koreans have been kidnapped. A North Korean defector testified that he saw people of various nationalities in an agent training center. This is not an unfounded
accusation: Lebanese women were kidnapped in 1977, and later released. We can never forgive the kidnappings by North Korea, the epitome of a terrorist state and violator of human rights.
The Clinton Administration attempted to ”engage” North Korea. The South Korean Government under President Kim Dae Jung is pursuing its Sunshine Policy toward the North. The Japanese Government has sent food aid and held normalization negotiations with North Korea, in order to maintain trilateral cooperation. Though a dialogue between the two Koreas has started, we have yet to see any material progress in resolving serious problems such as that of the abduction of Japanese and South Korean citizens. We believe that only a resolute stance can prevent terrorism and the violation of human rights. In this regard, we expect the Bush Administration to plan and implement policies toward North Korea with a full understanding of the North Korea’s record of kidnapping Japanese and Koreans, as well as its other criminal behavior.
The family members participating this mission are all in their 60s and 70s. We are dissatisfied with the current situation in which these older people have to go to the Unites States and appeal directly to the public there. We believe the Japanese people and government should bring about the return of the kidnapped themselves. However, we could not meet our self-imposed deadline for bringing all the kidnapped home, the end of the last millennium. We have little time left. We are determined to make every effort to rescue the kidnapped. We appeal to Americans, Japanese and, indeed, people throughout the world who seek the realization of freedom, peace, and human rights, to help us rescue the kidnapped.
February 19, 2001
Shigeru YOKOTA
Chairperson, Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea
Katsumi SATO
Chairperson, National Association for the Rescue of
