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| Bodies found in boat off Japanese coast | Bodies found in boat off Japanese coast |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Five bodies have been found in a boat with Korean language markings off Japan's west coast, reports say. | Five bodies have been found in a boat with Korean language markings off Japan's west coast, reports say. |
| The 10m vessel was washed ashore on Sado Island, Niigata City in waters between Japan and the Korean peninsula. | |
| All those on board were adult males, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported. Police said the victims' nationality could not be confirmed. | All those on board were adult males, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported. Police said the victims' nationality could not be confirmed. |
| In the past a very small number of North Korean refugees have made the journey to Japan by boat. | In the past a very small number of North Korean refugees have made the journey to Japan by boat. |
| Last year, a boat carrying nine North Koreans arrived in Kanazawa, further to the south. The group were later resettled in South Korea. | Last year, a boat carrying nine North Koreans arrived in Kanazawa, further to the south. The group were later resettled in South Korea. |
| In January another group of four North Korean fishermen found by the Japanese coastguard after developing engine trouble were repatriated at their request. | In January another group of four North Korean fishermen found by the Japanese coastguard after developing engine trouble were repatriated at their request. |
| A police spokesman told AFP news agency that the Korean characters on the boat - which appeared to have been drifting for some time - were impossible to read. | A police spokesman told AFP news agency that the Korean characters on the boat - which appeared to have been drifting for some time - were impossible to read. |
| "The bodies are decomposed badly and we still cannot confirm exactly how many of them there are," the spokesman added. | "The bodies are decomposed badly and we still cannot confirm exactly how many of them there are," the spokesman added. |