A photo exhibition is underway in Tokyo featuring a Japanese woman who was abducted by North Korean agents more than four decades ago. Her mother urged the government to help bring her daughter back home while she is still alive.

Yokota Megumi was 13 years old when she was abducted by North Korean agents on her way back from junior high school in 1977.

The event, which started on Wednesday, was organized by her mother Sakie's neighbors to raise public support for resolving the issue.

About 170 items are on display, including her clothes and notebooks she had exchanged with her friends. Many photos were taken by her father Shigeru who died three years ago.
Sakie told visitors that Megumi was a very cheerful and energetic girl. She said she wants to have Megumi set foot on Japanese soil as she believes her daughter is fine. The 87-year-old mother said she wants the government to produce results while she is still alive.

Arimoto Akihiro, the father of another abductee, also spoke at the event. His daughter Keiko was 23 when she was abducted in 1983 while traveling in Europe after completing a study program in London.

The 95-year-father said Keiko used to sit in his lap when she had a fight with siblings. He said she was a hard worker and aspired to get a job using her English skills abroad.

The Japanese government says at least 17 citizens were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. Five were repatriated after a bilateral summit in 2002. But the other 12 are still unaccounted for.
Among the parents of the 12 abductees, Yokota and Arimoto are the only ones who are still alive.

A group of Japanese abductees' families earlier referred to humanitarian assistance to North Korea for the first time. The families said they will not oppose Japan providing humanitarian aid to Pyongyang if all abductees are repatriated while their parents are alive.