The 6th Cinema Forum "A Pledge to Megumi" Kumamoto

Thanks to the cooperation of both the "Kumamoto Rescue Association" and the "Blue Ribbon Reserve Officers Association," the screening of "A Pledge to Megumi" was successfully held. It took a year from the planning stage to finally take place, but by addressing the abduction issue through film, we were able to hear firsthand the heartbreaking voices of the families of the abduction victims, known as "specific missing persons," a group that the media has not actively covered until now. Both we and everyone in the audience were deeply moved.

There is a time limit to how long it will take to rescue all the abductees from North Korea. We must aim to achieve their rescue while the victims and their families are still healthy, and we, as fellow Japanese citizens, must unite and raise public opinion; otherwise, neither North Korea nor the Japanese government will take action. The political situation within North Korea is unstable, and a military coup d'état is a possibility, as we are relying on others to do the work.

The rescue of the abduction victims at that time will require the power of the Self-Defense Forces, and the amendment of the Constitution and related laws is also urgently needed. It is a shameful state of affairs in the Diet that there are still ministers who do not even wear the blue ribbon badge, but I hope that all Diet members will consider the rescue of the abduction victims by the Kishida administration as the "true top priority" and take action toward its resolution with a sense of mission so strong that they would even go to North Korea themselves.

In the past, during the Japan Airlines "Yodo-go" hijacking incident by the Red Army Faction, there was a member of the House of Representatives, Shinjiro Yamamura, who was then the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Transport, who single-handedly traveled to North Korea to take the place of the Japanese passengers being held hostage. He was hailed as a hero by the people and known as "Shinjiro the Substitute." One cannot help but hope for the emergence of a modern-day "Shinjiro the Substitute." After all, members of parliament are in a position to risk their lives for the sake of the nation! This time, we also notified and invited the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education, the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly, and the boards of education and assembly members of Kumamoto City and the surrounding metropolitan area, and many people came. We deeply appreciate everyone's cooperation.