林官房長官「理不尽さ痛感」　めぐみさん拉致の現場視察―新潟

　拉致問題を担当する林芳正官房長官は２８日、新潟市を訪れ、横田めぐみさん＝拉致当時（１３）＝が北朝鮮に拉致された現場を視察した。拉致現場を視察するのは就任後初めてで、林氏は記者団に「北朝鮮に連れ去られ、４６年もの間、家族と会えていないことは痛恨の極みだ。理不尽なことが起きたと改めて痛感した」と語った。
　めぐみさんは中学１年生だった１９７７年１１月、部活動からの帰宅途中に拉致された。林氏はめぐみさんが通った中学校から当時住んでいた家への経路や、船で北朝鮮へ連れ去られたとみられる海岸などを視察。県警幹部らの説明を受けながら、約１キロの道のりを歩いた。
　林氏は記者団に「拉致問題は歴史上の事件ではなく、今なお被害者が自由を奪われている現在進行形の問題だ」と指摘。「全ての被害者の一日も早い帰国を実現すべく、全力で果断に取り組みたい」と強調した。（2023/12/28-16:34）

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday traveled to the central city of Niigata to inspect the site where Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Korea some 46 years ago at age 13.
   It was Hayashi's first visit to a site of a Japanese national kidnapped by the reclusive country since he assumed his current posts, including minister in charge of the abduction issue, earlier this month.
   "It is extremely regrettable that (Yokota) has been unable to see her family for 46 years since being taken to North Korea," Hayashi told reporters. "I felt once again that something unreasonable happened."
   Yokota was kidnapped while heading home after extracurricular club activity in November 1977, when she was a first grader at a junior high school in Niigata.
   Hayashi inspected the route from the school to the home in the city where Yokota was living at the time, as well as the coast believed to be where she was put on a boat to North Korea. He walked about a kilometer while receiving explanations from senior officials of the Niigata prefectural police department.