TAKAYAMA Manaka
9th grade, Seki Municipal Midorigaoka Junior High School
Every day, I enjoy doing what I want to do. I thought there were only people who lived freely in Japan after the war. Then, the other day, in a social studies class at school, I learned that Ms. Yokota Megumi, a 13-year-old girl, younger than I, was indiscriminately abducted by North Korea. It caused a pain in my chest. The pain worsened when I imagined myself, or my family, being abducted. As I heard that 16 people besides Ms. YOKOTA Megumi had been abducted, I used the Internet during the summer vacation to research the abductions issue.
When I heard the phrase "abductions issue," I used to think that it must have happened a long time ago. But I learnt that it happened only 40 years ago. I felt more closer to this issue, and it scared me. Like Ms. YOKOTA Megumi, most of the victims are unable to return to their families. I wondered why North Korea would do such a terrible thing. "I was robbed of everything except my life." This is what Mr. HASUIKE Kaoru, an abductee, said about the incident. When I heard his words, I thought I would never try to seek profit by depriving others of their freedom. I could not believe that they could do such a thing as a same human being.
Meanwhile, I learned that the families of the abductees formed the "Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea" (AFVKN). The sadness of losing a family member must have been beyond words, and the family members must have suffered so much. Even in such a situation, they regarded the incident as "something they must not forget" rather than avoiding it as an "something they do not want to remember," believing that they will reunite again. I was impressed by the strength of their belief.
I investigated what we could do to deal with this ongoing abductions issue and learned that the AFVKN members had been conducting activities gathering signatures on the streets. In Gifu prefecture, one will be held at Gifu station on January 11, 2020. The collected signatures, I heard, will be used to arouse public opinion for the return of all victims. I think this is an activity that enables us to cooperate with the abductees and their families. I would like to participate in helping my fellow Japanese citizens. I don't think it's good that people are beginning to regard the abductions issue as something that happened long ago, like I did before hearing the story in class. The victims’ families would never forget it. Therefore, we need to learn about the incident and never forget it.
The issue of abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea is a violation of human rights and should never be tolerated. "Human rights" means "the right of all to secure life and freedom and pursue their own well-being." Abduction violates that right.
In writing this composition, I learned about the abduction, an incident that should never have occurred, and was able to find out what I would be able to do. I hope that all the victims can return to their home countries as soon as possible and they can enjoy their freedom.