UN Group Adds 12 Missing Japanese to North Korea Abduction List

TOKYO – The United Nations Human Rights Council's working group on enforced disappearances has included 12 additional missing Japanese individuals, previously unacknowledged as abduction victims, in its list calling on North Korea to clarify their circumstances. These additions, confirmed by sources close to the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea, aim to pressure Pyongyang into confirming the safety of those listed and safeguarding their human rights.

Kazuhiro Araki, chair of the investigation commission, expressed hope that this development would prompt the Japanese government to share more information with the United Nations and intensify efforts to resolve the issue. "I hope the Japanese government will take this opportunity to provide information to the United Nations and change the situation," Araki stated.

The expanded list now comprises approximately 40 individuals, including those officially recognized by the government like Megumi Yokota, abducted at age 13 in Niigata Prefecture, alongside others suspected of being kidnapped by North Korea but not officially designated as abductees.

In February, the working group forwarded this comprehensive list to North Korea, requesting the regime to confirm the wellbeing of the individuals and to guarantee respect for their human rights. Among the newly added names are Takashi Osawa, who vanished in 1974 at age 27 from Sado Island in Niigata, and Minako Nakamura, last seen in 1998 at age 18 in Nagaoka, Niigata.