Tokyo cites N.K. missile tests as being behind ban
The Japanese government has barred the entry of five North Koreans, who seek to reclaim the remains of their relatives that died under Japanese servitude. The government has cited North Korea’s recent missile tests as the reason behind its ban. On July 24, the Japanese government decided to prevent the five North Koreans (three relatives of victims and two accompanying) from entering Japan. As part of its sanctions against North Korea, entry checks for North Koreans are being strictly conducted by the Japanese government. The immigration department of Japan’s justice ministry explained, "The case was not seen as the one to be treated as special in terms of a humanitarian viewpoint."The North Koreans whose visit to Japan was rejected were siblings of Koreans who were forced to work by Japanese military forces and died as a result. Remains of three of the North Koreans’ fathers were confirmed to be buried at a temple in Tokyo. The group had planned to visit Japan on July 27 to take the remains back to North Korea, as well as take part in demonstrations aimed to call on the Japanese government to encourage the return of further remains. The "Fact-Finding and Investigation Team for Forced Chosun People," the Japan-based group that invited the North Koreans, demanded the Japanese government admit the five, saying "the entry ban is a serious violation of human rights." The Japanese government also delayed an investigation into the remains of victims from its colonial period, scheduled to begin July 7 in Kyushu. The investigation was to be a joint effort between South Korea and Japan, and was seen as an important factor in locating victims’ relatives and delivering remains to surviving families. However, Japan’s foreign ministry one-sidedly postponed the joint investigation, citing urgent countermeasures against North Korea’s missile tests, the Asahi newspaper said.
