Soga family returns 'home' | 日本のニュースを英語で読むならジャパンタイムズウィークリー


	UPDATE: Saturday, June 12, 2010 The Japan Times Weekly 2004年7月24日号（バックナンバー）

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Soga family returns 'home'

Charles Robert Jenkins (left) and Hitomi Soga

Repatriated abductee Hitomi Soga and her family arrived in Tokyo on July 18 in a move expected to lead to their permanent residence in Japan, although uncertainty remains over the fate of her American husband accused by the United States of deserting from the Army.

After arriving at Haneda airport at 5:48 p.m. from Indonesia on a government-chartered flight, Charles Robert Jenkins, 64, was hospitalized for treatment of what the government says are stomach problems as a result of abdominal surgery he underwent in North Korea.

Soga, 45, and the couple's two North Korean-born daughters, Mika, 21, and Belinda, 18, are to stay in a room in the hospital for some time.

Jenkins will undergo a series of tests to determine his treatment.

The United States could seek custody of Jenkins now that he is in Japan. But U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker said July 17, "There are no plans for U.S. officials to see Jenkins in the immediate future" as Washington is "sympathetic" to his health condition.

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