Japan Puzzled By Bodies On Drifting Boats

Nearly one dozen boats - some with decomposing bodies on board - have been found drifting off the coast of Japan.

Authorities are trying to establish where the boats came from, but local media have suggested that they could be from North Korea.

A piece of cloth found on one of the vessels appeared to be part of a North Korean flag, while writing in Korean on the boat of one is believed to say "Korean People's Army", Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported.

Eleven wooden boats, some of which were badly damaged, have been found adrift in the Sea of Japan, or the East Sea as it is known in North and South Korea, during October and November, according to the coastguard.

As many as 20 bodies have been discovered, but have not yet been identified.

The latest boat, containing the remains of three people, was pulled ashore at Fukui port on Tuesday.

It was found around 62 miles (100km) offshore, the private TV channel Tokyo Broadcasting System reported.

The remains were badly decomposed and almost skeletal, it added.

Experts have suggested that the boats could have belonged to North Korean fisherman or people trying to escape the communist state.

North Korea has been trying to improve the amount it fish it catches after a number of bad harvests.

However, the vessels lack modern equipment, such as radar, and are difficult to manoeuvre. One maritime expert told NHK that the crews could have run into difficulty and been drifting for months without anyone knowing where they were.