N. Korea Abduction Survivor Hitomi Soga Appeals for Resolution of Issue; Calls for Return of Aging Mother, Other Abductees

By Yasuyuki Yamada / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

21:00 JST, December 30, 2024

SADO, Niigata — Hitomi Soga, who was abducted by North Korea in 1978, appealed for the immediate return of abductees, including her mother, and a resolution of the issue in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun in Sado, Niigata Prefecture.

“Victims and their families are aging,” 65-year-old Soga said. “Time is running out.”

Her mother, Miyoshi, was 46 when she was abducted and would have turned 93 on Saturday.

Soga and her mother were abducted as they were on their way home on Aug. 12, 1978. Since coming back to Japan in 2002, Soga has tirelessly campaigned for the return of her mother through petitions and public talks.

In March, Soga resigned from her job at a local welfare facility and, as of April, has been working at Sado city hall for the general affairs division’s abduction victim support office. The move has enabled her to travel nationwide to give speeches, allowing her to focus on addressing the abduction issue.

“I feel like I can now fully dedicate myself to this work,” she said.

However, Soga expressed concern over the declining number of petition signatures compared with when she first returned to Japan.

“I can’t help but fixate on the numbers,” she admitted, voicing worry about the issue fading from public memory.

To address the waning interest among younger generations, she contributed to the development of “I Want to See My Mom,” a learning material aimed at students ages 10 and above. The material has been distributed since September.

“I hope this helps them learn even a little about the abductions and think about what they can do,” Soga said.

In March, she dreamed about her mother for the first time in a decade.

“She looked healthy, which was a relief,” Soga said, but added that her mother hasn’t appeared in her dreams since. “I wish she’d come to visit in my dreams from time to time,” she said wistfully.

Soga hopes to one day reunite with her mother and prepare a meal using vegetables from the garden at her home.