Two classmates of Megumi Yokota, abducted by North Korea in Niigata 49 years ago, still hold to a promise she wrote in a notebook: "Let's always stay close." They say they will wait for her to come home.
The anniversary of the abduction falls on the 15th, NHK reported. The two women were close to Yokota at school and have carried her written pledge with them since.
They told NHK they are certain she will return. Their wait has run through decades in which successive Japanese governments have failed to bring abductees home.
Families press the government
Families of abductees and their supporters held a large rally on November 8, calling for concrete action from the government. The rally was reported by NHK.
Tokyo has long listed the return of abductees among its top priorities in talks with Pyongyang. No abductee has been repatriated since five returned in 2002.