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Free Web Book " The
Families "
Chapter
2: The Masumoto
and Ichikawa families -- Rumiko Masumoto and Shuichi Ichikawa were kidnapped during a seashore date on a
hot summer day. When the Japanese
government finally made contact with North Korea almost a quarter
century
later, the families were told the cruel fact that the couple had
already
deceased in North Korea. But who would
believe it? Chapter
3: The Chimura and
Hamamoto
families -- Yasushi
Chimura and Fukie Hamamoto were also kidnapped during a date. They returned home after 24 years as a
result of a Japanese and North Korean meeting in October, 2002. However, Yasushi’s mother, who had been long
ill, passed away shortly before her son’s return. Yasushi
wailed at her picture, “Mother, I’m home!” The
couple was also heartbroken, since they
left their three children in North Korea. Chapter
4: The Arimoto and
Matsuki
families -- Keiko Arimoto was unacquainted
with Kaoru Matsuki. Keiko vanished from
Denmark in 1983, and Kaoru from Spain in 1980. One
day in 1988, a letter from a third person, revealing
their life together
in North Korea, arrived out of the blue. They
must have taken a huge risk of being caught and
placed the letter
in a traveler’s hand. The letter was
folded many times and postmarked in Poland.
Chapter
5: The Iizuka and Hara
families -- Yaeko Taguch’s brother adopted the toddler, whom
Yaeko
left behind when she vanished, and brought him up as his own son. Many years later when the family found out
that Yaeko had been abducted by North Korea, they had to hide the fact
to protect
the young son. When he became 21, they
finally
told him the fate of his poor birth mother. Chapter
6:
The Hasuike and
Okudo families -- Kaoru Hasuike and Yukiko Okudo were also kidnapped
during a
date, and they were among the five Japanese abductees who were released
from
North Korea in October, 2002. At the
airport, Kaoru’s father held him tightly to make sure that his son
actually had
returned home to Japan. It was the end
of 24 long, difficult years, searching for the couple, but it was also
the beginning
of yet another tough time. The couple
had to wait for their two children they had left in North Korea. Chapter
7:
The Terakoshi
family -- Three Terakoshi family members disappeared while fishing in
the Sea
of Japan, where their empty boat was found floating the next morning. Were they abducted? Two
died in North Korea, and the youngest,
who was then 13 years old and is still living in North Korea, cannot
say that
he was abducted. He needs to protect
his life and family there. Chapter
8:
The Soga family --
Hitomi Soga was abducted from Sado Island in the Sea of Japan 26 years
ago, and
returned home from North Korea with four other abductees in October,
2002. But her mother, who was abducted at
the same
time as Hitomi, is still missing. Hitomi
left her American husband and two daughters in North Korea. Who can reunite the separated family?
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