The mother of Yokota Megumi, who was abducted by North Korean agents 47 years ago, has urged Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru to resolve the abduction issue once and for all.

Megumi was abducted on her way home from junior high school in Niigata City on the Sea of Japan on November 15, 1977, when she was 13.

Megumi's mother, Yokota Sakie, said in a news conference on Tuesday that it is unbelievable that 47 years have passed, and that she is just waiting for something to happen to bring her hope.

Yokota said she is skeptical about the role of politics because abductees have not been rescued after such a long time, and that she has no words to describe her frustration.

She urged the government to place top priority on saving the lives of the abductees and bringing all of them home as soon as possible during Ishiba's time in office.

Yokota said any father or mother would find the situation horrible if their children suddenly disappeared and were left abandoned for more than 40 years. She said Japan and North Korea need to hold talks and solve the issue.

The Japanese government has recognized 17 citizens as having been abducted by North Korea. Five of them returned to Japan in 2002 following a Japan-North Korea summit, but the whereabouts of the remaining 12 are still unknown.

Only two parents of the abductees are living. They are Yokota Sakie, who is 88, and 96-year-old Arimoto Akihiro, the father of abductee Arimoto Keiko.