Photo/Illutration Hitomi Soga, who was abducted to North Korea in 1978 and finally allowed to return to Japan in 2002, shares memories of fellow abductee Megumi Yokota during a charity concert held at the Niigata prefectural Civic Center in Niigata on Oct. 15. (Ryuichi Kitano)

Oct. 15 marked 20 years since North Korea permitted five Japanese nationals it abducted in the 1970s and ’80s to return to Japan. Since then, no further abductees have been released.

But that is not stopping the returnees and their surviving family members from continuing to press the government to pull out the stops and get everyone back.

North Korea admitted it abducted a total of 13 Japanese, mainly to train its spies in Japanese culture, customs and language.

Seventeen Japanese, including the five who returned to Japan, are officially recognized by Tokyo as having been spirited away. North Korea said eight of them were dead and four had not entered the country.

Hitomi Soga, one of the five returnees, marked the anniversary by sharing memories of her interactions with Megumi Yokota--a symbol of the abduction issue because of her young age, 13, when she disappeared in 1977. Pyongyang contends she died nearly 30 years ago, but many distrust what North Korea says about the matter.

Soga, 63, said she lived with Yokota temporarily in North Korea.

“She had a wonderful smile. She was like my sister,” Soga recalled.

Soga was abducted from Sado city in Niigata Prefecture in August 1978. After she arrived in North Korea, she lived with Megumi for about a year in total until around 1980.

“In North Korea, we sang Japanese songs together in a quiet voice that only the two of us could hear,” Soga said. “When Yokota comes back to Japan, I want to join hands with her and sing in a loud chorus.”

Soga, who resides in Sado city, made the remarks at a charity concert held in Niigata city. The event was organized by Yokota’s friends who were classmates at elementary and junior high schools in Niigata. They have held the concert since 2010 in hopes of eventually reuniting with her.

Another returnee, Yasushi Chimura, 67, reiterated calls for all remaining abductees to be brought home quickly.

He collected petition signatures in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, to call for the early return of the abductees.

“It has been 20 years since I returned to Japan, but no one has come back since then. That frustrates me,” he said.

Chimura was abducted with his fiancee, now wife, Fukie, 67, from an observation deck in a park in Obama that overlooks the Sea of Japan in July 1978.

After returning to Japan in 2002, he became an Obama city government employee. He retired in 2016.

“The abduction issue has not been resolved. For me, (the 20 years) cannot be treated as a milestone or anniversary,” Chimura said at a news conference at Obama city government hall after spending much of the day finishing the signature drive.

Over the past 20 years, a number of key relatives of the abductees who kept the issue alive have died. They include Shigeru Yokota, the father of Megumi, who died, like the others, without being reunited with their loved ones.

“I am 67 years old. Most of those who are waiting for the return of their loved ones are even older than I am. We need to rescue (abductees),” Chimura said.

Kaoru Hasuike, 65, and his wife, Yukiko, 66, returned to Japan in 2002 with Soga and the Chimuras. They released a statement through the Kashiwazaki city government in Niigata Prefecture on Oct. 14.

“We, including our family, are spending fulfilling days,” the couple reported.

But they expressed concern about the apparent lack of prospect for the return of other abductees to Japan and urged the government to “take drastic measures so that all the victims can step on Japanese soil and be reunited with their loved ones.”

(This article was written by Ryuichi Kitano, a senior staff writer, and Tsunetaka Sato.)

Related News