abduct · pull

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 拉 has 8 strokes and the on-reading ら. 拉致 (らち) means abduction, taking someone away by force.
• Basic usage: 拉致 can name an incident as a noun; 拉致する describes the act of abducting someone.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Naming an incident and negating its direct depiction
  • 研究者の拉致事件 refers to the abduction of a researcher. It is the incident with which the mystery novel begins.
  • 記者を拉致する場面は直接描かれていない means that the reporter's abduction is not depicted directly. It negates showing the scene, not the occurrence of the incident in the story.