Abduction Survivor Hitomi Soga Urges Japan to Hold Early Summit with North Korea as Her Abducted Mother Turns 94

By Yasuyuki Yamada / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:22 JST, December 28, 2025

SADO, Niigata — Hitomi Soga, 66, a Japanese victim of abduction by North Korea, gave an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, in conjunction with her mother Miyoshi’s 94th birthday on Sunday.

Miyoshi, who was kidnapped at the age of 46 alongside her daughter in 1978, remains missing. Soga appealed for the government to secure an early resolution to the abductions of Japanese nationals, saying she wanted “a Japan–North Korea summit as soon as possible.”

A new photograph of Miyoshi was discovered this year. It was taken in April 1978 at the school entrance ceremony for Soga’s younger sister. On the evening of Aug. 12 that year, Soga and her mother were abducted by North Korean agents while on their way home.

In October, Soga brought the photograph with her to Tokyo, where she met U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to Japan, together with relatives of other abductees. She wanted him to see the newest image of her mother to be found. Soga also met with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, saying the encounter left her feeling the prime minister had a “sense of interest and responsibility regarding the abduction issue,” hinting at renewed hope for a breakthrough.

Now employed as a city official since the previous fiscal year, Soga has spent this year traveling to deliver speeches outside Niigata, including in the Kansai and Kanto regions. In Fukuoka, 900 people applied for an event at a venue with a capacity of 600. Watching audience members nod along and wipe away tears, Soga said she felt anew that the “importance of conveying the message directly is beyond comparison.”

The Japanese government has officially recognized 17 people as abductees, including five who returned to Japan in 2002 and Miyoshi, whose whereabouts remain unknown. North Korea denies that Miyoshi ever entered the country.

As the year draws to a close, Soga finds herself torn between frustration and loneliness while thinking of her aging mother. She grows vegetables in her garden with the hope of cooking her home-style dishes if Miyoshi returns, but that wish seems unlikely to be fulfilled again this year.

“A cold winter is coming,” she said, wishing for her mother’s safety. “I want her to stay well enough, at least, to be able to take care of herself.”