Megumi Yokota's classmate Emiko Shinbo sheds tears while talking about her long-missing best friend. Photo taken on September 8 in Chiba City (©SANKEI by Ko Notomi).
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Emiko Shinbo was on her way home from Niigata Elementary School (Niigata City) one day in September 1976. Suddenly, a transfer student from Hiroshima approached her. It was Megumi Yokota.
"I remember being a little surprised by her enthusiasm and brightness," Shinbo recalls. "She said, 'Call me Yoko'." Shinbo was a member of the school's choir club. "Megumi said she was planning to join the choir club. 'Let's be friends,' she said."
Treasured Friendship
Although she joined in the second semester of sixth grade, Megumi quickly blended into the class. "Before long, she started calling me Bonbo-san," Shinbo shares.
In the choir club, Megumi often took on solo parts, showcasing her beautiful singing voice. A devoted fan of Ryoko Ikeda, the manga artist famous for The Rose of Versailles, she skillfully emulated Ikeda's illustration style. Her handwriting was elegant, and her tall stature and athletic ability made her stand out. "She was a cherished friend I was immensely proud of," Shinbo says.
In March 1977, just before elementary school graduation, Shinbo collected messages from friends in an autograph book. Megumi signed the first page.
Her message read:
"Bonbo, we've been friends for about four to five months now. You'll go to Yorii Junior High, right? Whether or not we end up in the same class, let's hang out together!"
"How she signed off weighs heavily on my heart now," Shinbo relates.
"Let's be friends forever. – M.Y."
Always Together
On the night of November 15, 1977, Megumi's mother, Sakie, called Shinbo's home. "Sakie said Megumi still hadn't come home and asked if she was with me," Shinbo explains.
At Yorii Junior High School, where they continued their education, they both joined the badminton club and always walked home together. However, on this particular day, Shinbo injured her finger during practice and decided to go home early.
"I thought maybe she had just stopped off somewhere," Shinbo thought. Despite her mother's encouragement to go to bed, she struggled to sleep. Apparently, her mother stayed up all night waiting for a call from Sakie. When Shinbo woke to find her mother with her face buried in the kotatsu (low Japanese heated table), she realized Megumi still hadn't returned.
Their homeroom teacher broke the news of Megumi's disappearance to the class. While some girls in the class burst into tears, Shinbo found herself unable to cry. "She disappeared so suddenly, I just believed she'd return just as quickly," she says.
It was not until 20 years later that they discovered Megumi was in North Korea.
To Enjoy the Ordinary
"There's something I regret," Shinbo reveals. "Two days before Megumi disappeared, she was selected as a doubles player for a badminton rookie tournament. I went to cheer her on." Upon seeing Shinbo, Megumi, who had arrived at the gymnasium earlier, spread her arms wide with joy and approached her. "'Bonboko!' she called. However, I felt a bit embarrassed and couldn't bring myself to hug her."
"When we finally meet again, I want to savor all the ordinary moments together," Shinbo says. "Visiting places with beautiful sunsets and enjoying delicious food. If she feels like playing badminton, we'll find a gym right away."
On October 5, the day of Megumi's 60th birthday, her classmates held a reunion concert in Niigata. However, Shinbo couldn't attend because she was caring for her 92-year-old mother. "I'm sure Megumi must also be concerned about her mother Sakie's health," she remarks. "Sakie is about the same age as my mother. Both Megumi and I have lost our fathers, too."
On Megumi's 60th birthday, Shinbo shared her feelings with her best friend:
"Yoko, I never thought we'd get to this age. I'm sure we both have aches and pains, but please take care of yourself. Just keep believing and wait. This time, I'll be the one to hug you."
Learn More: First English Podcast on Japanese Citizens Abducted by North Korea: All Four Episodes Available Now
RELATED:
- Letter to Megumi: A Mother Exhausted but Filled with Hope in a New Generation of Leaders
- EDITORIAL | Pressuring North Korea to Resolve Abductions Has International Support
- Letters to Megumi: Children's Heartfelt Hopes Under the Cherry Blossoms
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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