A total of 89 wooden fishing boats believed to be registered in North Korea have been found so far this year to be drifting in waters off the Sea of Japan or aground along the coast, already nearing last year's total when a record high 104 cases were confirmed, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
It has been found that like last year, North Korean vessels are conducting illegal fishing in Japan's exclusive economic zone, apparently as a means of earning foreign currency through smuggling.
The Japan Coast Guard suspects many of the boats found to be drifting or aground were engaged in illegal fishing. Authorities are on higher alert against such vessels, as most of the cases have been found off Hokkaido or along its coast since early autumn. According to the JCG, the number of vessels believed to be North Korean that have been found to be drifting or aground as of Friday is 89, surpassing last year's figure of 59 as of the end of November. A total of 12 bodies were discovered on five of the 89 vessels.
The number of such vessels usually increases when winds from the west blow more strongly in the Sea of Japan in autumn and winter. This year, 35 boats were found in January and February, with the number below 10 each month since March. However, it soared to 27 in the Nov. 1-9 period.
This year has seen an increasing number of the vessels found in Hokkaido since early autumn. Of 40 such cases since September, those in Hokkaido account for 33, or more than 80 percent. It had just six cases last year.
On Nov. 1, a wooden vessel was found aground on the western coast of the Rishirito island in Hokkaido. According to the JCG's office in Wakkanai, jute bags of rice and squid were found onboard.
Factors behind the trend include the fact that the North Korean ships seem to have changed their operating area. Last year, North Korean ships illegally operating in the Yamatotai area -- a rich fishing ground off the Noto Peninsula in Japan's EEZ -- became a serious issue.
The incident prompted the JCG to step up its surveillance by deploying patrol boats to waters around the area since May before fishing there goes into high gear. Moreover, since this summer, the rich fishing ground has been extending to waters north of the Yamatotai, according to the Fisheries Agency and other entities concerned. Since August, a large number of fishing boats have been confirmed to be operating in waters west of Hokkaido within Japan's EEZ.
Illegal fishing by North Korea is aimed at "earning foreign currency through smuggling," said Lee Young Hwa, an expert on the country and a professor at Kansai University.
Following the start of economic sanctions, North Korean trade and financial companies have been earning foreign currencies such as yuan. But earning currency has become difficult under prolonged sanctions, which is prompting North Koreans to illegally earn foreign currency by exporting marine products to Chinese private companies and other entities, according to Lee. "As long as the economic sanctions are imposed, North Korea will be forced to continue relying on smuggling and illegal fishing," Lee said.
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