On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the abduction of Hitomi Soga and her mother Miyoshi by North Korea in 45 days, Soga wrote a handwritten comment to NHK, touching on the current situation where the whereabouts of her mother are still unknown, and asking the government to "make serious efforts to solve the problem."
Hitomi Soga and her mother, Miyoshi, were abducted by North Korea 45 years ago on August 1978, 8 in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, and Soga returned to Japan in 12, but the whereabouts of 2002-year-old Miyoshi are still unknown.
On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the incident in 45 days, Mr. Soga made a handwritten comment to NHK.
Commenting on the continued lack of progress toward rescuing the victims, he said, "I didn't expect to see my mother for such a long time. What did we, mothers and daughters, do? Forty-five years is a daunting time. It is unfortunate that no one has been able to return home after us. Considering the age of my parents' generation, I can't waste a single minute. I strongly hope that the government will make serious efforts to solve the problem."
He then told his mother, Miyoshi, "I want to be with my mother for as long as possible, so I will do my best to rescue her so that she can return home as soon as possible. Don't give up on going home because I'm going to help you."