Two Decapitated Heads Founds on 'Ghost Ship' That Washed Ashore
A fishing vessel believed to be of North Korean origin washed ashore on Sado Island in Japan last week, carrying a number of human remains.
According to state media organization NHK, Japanese Coast Guard servicemen found seven “partially skeletonized” remains aboard the wreck while searching it Saturday.
Only three of the remains were found in their entirety, The Associated Press has since reported.
Two of the seven remains found were headless bodies, while two others were heads without bodies.
It is as of yet unknown whether the two headless bodies correspond with the two heads without bodies.
A boat with several decomposing bodies was found on a small island in Japan. Authorities believe the boat may be from North Korea. Hundreds of what Japanese media call “ghost ships” have been found in recent years. https://t.co/s6ai6IBX6m
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 29, 2019
No further details were provided; however, “Korean language items” found aboard the boat have prompted further investigation on the part of Japanese authorities.
According to the AP, Northwestern Japanese islands like Sado often find their coasts littered with smaller wrecks, particularly at this time of year as a result of rough water and strong winds.
Previous reports from the outlet suggest as many as one hundred of these vessels, which local media have taken to calling “ghost ships,” wash ashore in Japan annually.
Experts indicate this mass influx began as attempts were made within the dictatorial North Korean regime to step up annual fish harvests and make the nation more self-sufficient amid food shortages.
Today on #DailyVICE: North Korean ghost ships are washing up in Japan https://t.co/LjniIsp6GMhttps://t.co/GTpFRDiJuk
— VICE Canada (@vicecanada) December 2, 2015
In order to meet quotas, North Korean fishermen have reportedly begun taking more risks, sailing into deeper, harsher waters and even entering the 200-mile Japanese exclusion zone.
Their small, ill-equipped fishing vessels are not, however, made for such journeys.
And the result has not only been an influx of “ghost ship” wrecks, but also a number of manned North Korean ships requiring Japanese Coast Guard rescue in recent years.
Rescued fisherman are promptly deported by the Japanese government, and some have reportedly even requested an immediate return to their home country.
The Japanese government has stepped up naval and coast guard patrols of its northwestern territorial waters as a result of these occurrences.
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