A Japanese woman, who was abducted by North Korea and repatriated many years later, has called for the early rescue of all the abductees, including her own mother.
Soga Hitomi was abducted from the island of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, with her mother, Miyoshi, in 1978.
Soga was repatriated in 2002, but her mother remains unaccounted for.
Soga collected signatures at a shopping mall in Sado City on Sunday. The event coincided with the week designated by the government to raise awareness about human rights abuse by the North Korean authorities.
People who signed her petition were given leaflets about the abductions along with handmade blue ribbon pins.
Soga began working at Sado city’s office for the abduction issue in April last year. She has been expanding her activities in the prefecture and other parts of Japan.
The city says 13,924 signatures had been collected as of Saturday during the fiscal year that started in April. The figure is more than double the number for the last fiscal year.
Soga’s mother will turn 94 on December 28. Soga said that a cold winter is coming and she is worried about her mother’s health. She added that she never feels at ease when she thinks about her.
Soga said she is filled with desperate thoughts that nearly half a century has passed.
She added that she hopes that the government will take various measures so all the abductees can return to their families as soon as possible.
AloJapan.com