A Japanese high court has ruled that the North Korean government is responsible for human rights abuses against plaintiffs who were deceived by false promises of a “paradise on Earth.” The decision has been hailed as a victory by survivors and their supporters.
The four plaintiffs, consisting of both ethnic Koreans and Japanese individuals, relocated to North Korea as part of a program that ran from 1959 to 1984. Under this program, the North Korean government assured participants of free healthcare, education, employment, and various other benefits. However, upon arrival, they discovered that none of these promises were fulfilled. Instead, they were subjected to arduous manual labor in mines, forests, and farms, forced to endure harsh living conditions.
Initially, five plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in 2018 with the Tokyo District Court, seeking compensation of 100 million yen ($900,000) each for “illegal solicitation and detainment.” In March 2022, the district court acknowledged that the plaintiffs had been deceived by false information provided by North Korea and a pro-North Korean organization in Japan. However, the court deemed that the statute of limitations had expired and that Japanese courts lacked jurisdiction since the plaintiffs’ suffering occurred outside of Japan.
Four of the plaintiffs appealed this decision, arguing that Japan had jurisdiction over their case because their ordeal began when they boarded ships in a Japanese port. On Monday, the Tokyo High Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, asserting that the Japanese court did indeed have jurisdiction. The court also determined that the North Korean government had violated the plaintiffs’ rights by subjecting them to miserable and harsh living conditions that starkly differed from the information provided before their relocation. The court described the plaintiffs as having been deprived of their freedom to choose where to live, effectively having their lives “stolen” from them.
The case will now return to the Tokyo District Court, where the extent of damages that the North Korean government must pay to the plaintiffs will be reviewed. However, it is unlikely that North Korea will respond to the lawsuit or pay any damages.
One of the plaintiffs, Eiko Kawasaki, now 81 years old, boarded a ship to North Korea in 1960 when she was just 17. She remained there until 2003 when she managed to escape back to Japan, leaving her grown children behind. Kawasaki expressed her joy and raised her fists in victory outside the court, considering the ruling a complete triumph for the victims. She stated that she risked her life to flee North Korea and expose the repatriation program, expressing gratitude for being able to return to Japan and witness the judgment.
Approximately half a million ethnic Koreans currently reside in Japan and face discrimination in various aspects of life, including education and employment. Many are descendants of Koreans who were brought to Japan, often by force, to work in mines and factories during Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula. This historical background continues to strain relations between Japan and the Koreas.
In 1959, North Korea initiated a resettlement program to repatriate overseas Koreans to the country, compensating for the loss of workers during the Korean War. The Japanese government, considering ethnic Koreans as outsiders, supported and facilitated this program, assisting people in traveling to North Korea. Around 93,000 ethnic Koreans residing in Japan, along with their family members, relocated to North Korea as a result. Only about 150 of them have managed to return to Japan, according to a group that supports defectors from North Korea.
