Sakie Yokota goes to Washington

This is one impressive lady...

Sakie Yokota, 70, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korean agents, met U.S. Congressman Steven Chabot, R-Ohio, on Tuesday to relate the tale of her family's ordeal since Megumi's disappearance in 1977.

In the 30-minute meeting with Chabot at the congressman's office on Capitol Hill, Yokota said all she wanted was to see her daughter returned to her.

During the meeting she showed Chabot a photo taken on a family trip made when Megumi was a primary school student. The congressman, who has been involved in the abduction issue, said it was very serious and promised he would continue his efforts to resolve the issue, according to Yokota, who spoke to reporters after the meeting.

Megumi's brother, Takuya, 37, who also attended the meeting with Chabot, said he told the congressman they had not taken family photos for nearly 30 years since his sister vanished. He also told Chabot that Japan as a whole was now embroiled in the abduction issue.

Five members of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, including the Yokotas, are visiting Washington this week to try to raise awareness of the issue among U.S. leaders and the public.

(Photo and story from the Daily Yomiuri with more details here)