蓮池薫『日本人拉致』

ある日突然、日常が奪われる。家族との食卓も、友との語らいも、明日への夢さえも。北朝鮮による日本人拉致は、人の人生を根こそぎ奪う国家犯罪である。
拉致被害者の蓮池薫さんは、二十四年もの歳月を異国で過ごした。帰国は果たしたものの、失われた青春も、家族と過ごせなかった時間も戻らない。
拉致問題は外交交渉の課題である以前に、一人ひとりの尊厳にかかわる問題だ。
歳月が過ぎ、記憶が薄れても、帰りを待つ家族の思いは消えない。平和とは、戦争がないことだけではない。誰もが自由に生き、愛する人のもとへ帰れること。その当たり前を守る責任が、私たちにはある。

The Abduction of Japanese Citizens — Time Stolen from Their Lives

One day, without warning, ordinary life is suddenly taken away. Family meals, conversations with friends, and even dreams for tomorrow are all lost. The abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea is a state-sponsored crime that tears people's lives apart.
Kaoru Hasuike, one of the abductees, spent twenty-four years in a foreign land. Although he eventually returned to Japan, the youth he lost and the years he could not spend with his family can never be recovered.
The abduction issue is not merely a matter of diplomatic negotiations. Above all, it is a question of human dignity.
As the years pass and memories begin to fade, the longing of families waiting for their loved ones to return remains unchanged.
Peace is not simply the absence of war. It means that everyone can live in freedom and return home to the people they love.
We all share the responsibility to protect these fundamental human rights, which should never be taken for granted.