File photo
Japan has begun investigating nearly a dozen suspicious boats recently found drifting off the country’s coastline, some with decaying bodies aboard.
According to AFP, at least 11 cases involving wooden boats, some badly damaged, with 20 bodies on board have been reported during October and November, even as media speculated they came from North Korea.
Many of the boats have been towed to Japanese ports, but the bodies are yet to be identified, he said, adding that investigations were ongoing.
On Tuesday, one of the boats was pulled ashore at Fukui port after three sets of remains were found inside when coastguard personnel spotted it some 100 kilometres (62 miles) offshore in the Sea of Japan, private TV channel Tokyo Broadcasting System reported.
The remains were reportedly badly decomposed and partially skeletonised, while Japan’s public TV broadcaster NHK said Korean writing was visible on the boats as well as clothes left inside the vessels.