N Korea at crossroads

Suspected North Korean smuggling ships visited Japan 38 times: Nikkei study

Lax rules allow suspicious vessels to easily enter country's harbors

20230408N Tokyo harbor

A cargo ship and containers at an industrial port in Tokyo. A Togo-flagged ship suspected of smuggling North Korea coal called at a Tokyo port in 2021.  © Reuters

TAKUMI KITAMOTO and SHOHEI NOMOTO, Nikkei staff writers
April 9, 2023 01:03 JST
Updated on April 9, 2023 10:35 JST

TOKYO -- Ships suspected of violating United Nations sanctions imposed on North Korea are sailing in and out of Japanese ports, according to a study by Nikkei. 

The study found six ships cited as linked to smuggling or as former North Korean-flagged in U.N. reports made 38 calls to the ports over the past three years.

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