Japanese researchers unwittingly collaborated with North Korean peers

Co-authored papers highlight difficulty enforcing sanctions in academia

Researchers at the seven Japanese organizations, including the University of Tokyo, said they were unaware of the existence of North Korean co-authors on their papers. (Photo by Takako Gakuto)

SHOJI YANO, Nikkei staff writer

November 30, 2024 10:30 JST

TOKYO -- Researchers at multiple Japanese institutions unknowingly co-authored papers with North Korean peers in a potential violation of United Nations sanctions, Nikkei has found, highlighting the difficulty of enforcement amid a rise in cross-border research.

Nikkei examined data on roughly 97 million documents on Scopus, a database for academic publications, seeking joint works by Japanese and North Korean researchers since the U.N. toughened sanctions on Pyongyang at the end of 2016.