Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Japanese abductees return to Japan (NYTimes, free registration required). The abductees, many of whom were kidnapped in 1978, proved reluctant to speak about their kidnapping. Many apologized for the troubles and anxiety they have caused their families (as if being snatched from a Japanese beach by North Korean spies were their fault). Most have family members in North Korea and plan to return sooner rather than later. The New York Times piece stresses the Rip Van Winkle aspect of their return to Japan:
Arriving here today, five survivors learned of births of nieces and nephews, babies who are now college students. In coming days, they are to discover a Japan where eight-track tapes have given way to compact disks, where black hair and green tea have given way to dyed hair and gourmet coffee, where social lives revolve around cell phones and the Internet, and where 14 prime ministers have spun in and out of government since 1978.
