Description
Takuya Yokota is the younger twin brother of Megumi Yokota, abducted by North Korean agents in 1977 at age thirteen. Takuya was nine at the time. He recalls his sister as a cheerful, active presence, "a sunflower" brightening their household. Her disappearance cast a dark, somber atmosphere over the family, stifling conversation at the dinner table. On the night she vanished, Takuya and his brother Tetsuya searched near their Niigata home until they broke down in tears. Police urged the twins to "be strong," advice Takuya strives to follow daily.
The family moved from Niigata during Takuya's third year of junior high. Decades later, returning to their former neighborhood and Yorii Junior High School, he noted rebuilt structures but recognized preserved cherry blossom trees – symbols of the abduction issue. He reflected on time's passage and his sister's potential suffering in North Korea.
Takuya engaged in advocacy after receiving information in 1997 suggesting Megumi was alive in North Korea. Alongside his parents and other affected families, he co-founded the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea that same year, later becoming its representative. He travels Japan delivering lectures to raise awareness about the ongoing abductions, emphasizing urgency as the parents age. Takuya has met multiple U.S. officials, including Ambassador George Glass in 2024 and 2025, seeking international support for the victims' return. He advocates for direct talks between Japanese officials and North Korea without preconditions.
Takuya maintains Megumi is alive, rejecting North Korea's claim of her suicide and citing disputed DNA evidence on returned remains. In 2014, he and his family met Megumi's daughter, Kim Eun-gyong, in Mongolia. He continues to affectionately call his sister "Megumi-chan," acknowledging his memories remain frozen at her age thirteen. In personal appeals, he expresses regret for not yet securing her return while urging her to stay healthy and wait. Following their father Shigeru's death in 2020, Takuya persists in campaigning for resolution, stressing time is running out for the aging families.
The family moved from Niigata during Takuya's third year of junior high. Decades later, returning to their former neighborhood and Yorii Junior High School, he noted rebuilt structures but recognized preserved cherry blossom trees – symbols of the abduction issue. He reflected on time's passage and his sister's potential suffering in North Korea.
Takuya engaged in advocacy after receiving information in 1997 suggesting Megumi was alive in North Korea. Alongside his parents and other affected families, he co-founded the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea that same year, later becoming its representative. He travels Japan delivering lectures to raise awareness about the ongoing abductions, emphasizing urgency as the parents age. Takuya has met multiple U.S. officials, including Ambassador George Glass in 2024 and 2025, seeking international support for the victims' return. He advocates for direct talks between Japanese officials and North Korea without preconditions.
Takuya maintains Megumi is alive, rejecting North Korea's claim of her suicide and citing disputed DNA evidence on returned remains. In 2014, he and his family met Megumi's daughter, Kim Eun-gyong, in Mongolia. He continues to affectionately call his sister "Megumi-chan," acknowledging his memories remain frozen at her age thirteen. In personal appeals, he expresses regret for not yet securing her return while urging her to stay healthy and wait. Following their father Shigeru's death in 2020, Takuya persists in campaigning for resolution, stressing time is running out for the aging families.