A repatriated Japanese woman abducted by North Korea has collected signatures calling for the early return of other victims.
Soga Hitomi conducted the campaign on Sunday in Sado City in Niigata Prefecture ahead of the 22nd anniversary of her return to Japan.
Soga was abducted with her mother Miyoshi from Sado Island in the Sea of Japan on August 12, 1978.
She was repatriated with four of the other victims on October 15, 2002, but her mother remains unaccounted for. Miyoshi will turn 93 years old in December this year.
Soga told reporters that it has been 22 years since she returned to Japan, which she noted is almost as long as the 24 years she spent in North Korea.
She said she has been through a lot since her return, including her husband’s death, but her biggest concern is that she has yet to be reunited with her mother.
Soga urged the Japanese government to take action toward the early resolution of the abduction issue.
She said she hopes Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru will bring North Korea to the negotiation table as soon as possible and do all he can to realize the return of all abductees.
The Japanese government says at least 17 of its citizens were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. Five returned in 2002, but the other 12 remain unaccounted for.