Japan on alert as boats thought to be from N Korea found

Have you seen the pictures? These are small, rotten wooden boats not fast attack craft. Why should Japan feel the need to defend itself against driftwood?

This is only news because of recent developments. Every winter when the west wind blows, several dozen unidentified boats, abandoned or containing bodies wash ashore on the Sea of Japan Coast.

I'm thankful I live in a country that people flee to rather than flee from.

NK are running out of food.

Why worry about these boats, they're only carrying bones. You can bet the sleeper agents are already here.

I think BeerDeliveryGuy beat me to it. These boats have been drifting ashore for years now. It's funny the media has only just decided to start making them into news now.

Actually, for North Korea, these are fast attack craft.

more fearmongering, plan and simple.

In this case, I wonder if the men rescued were asked if they wanted to return to North Korea or not. 

In almost every case, the survivors express a “strong desire” to return to NK.

I suppose their families would have it worse off if they stayed and were deemed “defectors.”

The Japanese authorities also inform NK of the names and registration number of ships that drift ashore, although sometimes the boats are deteriorated beyond the point of positive identification.

It's true, but it's hardly funny. They are making it news because there is a real possibility of an increasing tidal wave of sad and sorry boat-people, and they have all seen the pictures of African and 'Syrian' refugees crossing the Mediterranean to escape war zones or poverty.

This morning on the news they were showing seven people on a green but mountainous deserted island off Hokkaido. I think I would prefer to live on an island like that rather than struggle in DPRK.

On alert? One boat disappeared this week, sleeping policemen no doubt

This is getting a bit out of hand. It won't take much more of this kind of talk and soon the crazed nationalists (or even the common old shunsuke?) will start pointing fingers and turn on the local Korean communities.

For the love of God, if there is a real threat then deal with it!!

If there ain't (as many...me too, suspect) then our leaders will need to be held accountable for any troubles that angry mobs get up to.

It's sick that they allow this fear to spread for the sake of their political egos.

The SHTF and ironically they are the ones who will survive it all and we will be small mounts of carbon dust.

How's that fair?

A week earlier, the coast guard rescued three North Korean men from a capsized fishing boat off Japan's northern coast. They were transferred hours later to another North Korean vessel that was to return them home.

In this case, I wonder if the men rescued were asked if they wanted to return to North Korea or not.  I have read several books written by successful defectors.  If these people had been listed as missing for any reason, they are in for lengthy interrogations by the DPRK when they return.  I only hope that the Japanese government would be willing to take in refugees from North Korea.

Seems like a common sense move to me. This is called defense in depth. Anyone remember the USS Cole?

Imagine when America attacks. Japan has 100,000 boats, so I’m guessing NK has between 30-50,000 boats. Probably 5-10million civilians will flee by sea. Expect more of this thing in the future.

There's a real risk that NK already has plenty of sleeper agents in Japan ready to unleash bio weapons if war breaks out.

It's a good job that North Korea is not sending military forces to Japan-myriad boats washing up undetected obviously shows Japan ill equipped to defend itself!