I have been mulling over what to write for my 1st post here in kikenshisou. I had already decided that it should be something I have more than a passing interest in recently, which will be anime and also all thing Japanese. So on Thursday while wading through my rss feeds I came across this article about an animated short film Megumi Yokota (横田めぐみ)
The anime is available in Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English, so no worries about not understanding the audio. Video streaming is also available from:
Youtube: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Crunchyroll (Requires registration)
Megumi Yokota (Japanese: 横田めぐみ; Yokota Megumi), born October 15, 1964-March 13, 1994?, is one of at least thirteen Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was abducted on November 15, 1977 at the age of thirteen and apparently forced to help train North Korean spies to pass as Japanese citizens. In 2002, North Korea admitted that she and others had been abducted, but claimed that she had committed suicide on March 13, 1994 (originally announced as 1993 and later corrected to 1994) and returned what it said were her ashes. Japan stated that a DNA test had proved that they could not have been her remains, and her family does not believe that she would have committed suicide. [1]
There is a scene which I find especially poignant. One that shows Megumi clawing repeatedly at the hull of the ship where she was confined leaving bloody streaks. On further investigation on the net, I found an account that it was actually true
During the 85-minute film An, a North Korean defector and acquaintance of Yokota’s kidnapper, explained how the girl screamed for her mother during the 40-hour boat ride and scratched so desperately at an iron door that she lost all her fingernails. [2]
One can only imagine the terror and despair of a 13-year old girl caught in such a situation.
The controversy still rages on the accuracy of the DNA test done on the supposedly remains of Megumi, with political intricacies still abound.
A positive resolution of the issue, I believe, will be the unconditional and indisputable verification on the status of abducted Japanese/Korean nations, and also to bring them home eventually. Frankly even though the odds of that happening is pretty slim. But we can still give our support and hope for the best.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megumi_Yokota
[2] http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_/ai_n17156582
