Real Life Story – Kidnapped Megumi Yokota Anime

The Japanese goverement has made a 30-minute anime, based on the manga “Megumi”, the story of a Japanese girl abducted by North Korea in 1977, as part of its efforts to raise the world’s awareness of the abduction issue, government officials said Wednesday.

The Japanese government will also start distributing, from April, an English version of the manga. Translated version of the manga will be distributed to Japanese embassies, educational institutions and libraries abroad. The manga, originally published in 2005, was authored by the abductee Megumi Yokota’s parent, Shigeru and Sakie, and illustrated by cartoonist Soichi Moto. The manga details the parents’ struggle to rescue their daughter, and a look at the final days in Japan of 13-year-old Megumi Yokota.

Megumi was abducted on November 15, 1977 at the age of thirteen (among at least 13 others Japanese citizens) 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.

Three other documentaries have been made about her and the kidnapping cases: ‘KIDNAPPED! The Japan-North Korea Abduction Cases’ (2005), ‘Until They Took Her Away’ (2005) and ‘Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story’ (2006). In October 2006 a nearly two hour special aired on Japan television titled “Reunion ~ Megumi Yokota’s Wish” (Saikai ~ Yokota Megumi no Negai; 再会～横田めぐみさんの願い). It starred young actress Mayuko Fukuda as a young Yokota, and actress Nana Katase as grown Yokota.

The movie ‘Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story’, told from the eyes of Megumi’s mother and father as they learned the grave truth of their daughters abduction, and their 30 year search for the facts, has won numerous award.

I would be keeping an eye on this one and will post a link when the anime comes out.