Uncover the full story behind the 1970 Yodo-go hijacking—how radicals diverted Japan Airlines Flight 351 to North Korea.
In 1970, a Japan Airlines plane was flying from Tokyo to Fukuoka, on a domestic flight within Japan. The total number of passengers was 122 people. Suddenly, a young Japanese man stood in the middle of the plane's aisle and announced loudly to everyone that the plane was hijacked. The young man was wearing a long coat, and immediately pulled out a Japanese samurai sword (katana) from his coat, raised the sword towards the passengers, and began threatening them that anyone who moved or tried to resist would face severe consequences.
The tension increased further when eight additional passengers stood up from their seats, drew swords and weapons, and joined the hijackers. These nine were all young men, most of them university students.
Planning the Hijacking
The events of our story occurred in 1970. The beginning of the story was in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, specifically at the University of Tokyo. The story revolves around nine students. Not all of the students were studying at the University of Tokyo. The youngest of them was 16 years old, and the oldest was 27 years old. Their meeting together had one goal: to hijack a plane and go to a specific destination they had in mind. They would meet in one of the university classrooms and arrange the study chairs to resemble airplane seats, placing three chairs on the right and three on the left, with a small gap in the middle like an airplane aisle. The goal was for them to train on the plane hijacking plan, where they would be seated, when they would get up from their places, who would move first, and how they would coordinate movements among themselves. The strange thing was that they didn't even know each other's names; they had invented nicknames for themselves, and each one called the other by their nickname. Their real names were unknown to them. Not only were their ages varied, but their interests and occupations in life were also different. One of them, for example, was a guitarist in a rising musical band. This man's name was Moriaki Wakabayashi.
Flight Details and Boarding Method
The plane the nine decided to hijack bore the number 351, and its flight was from Tokyo to Fukuoka. They booked their tickets separately, each booking their own ticket alone. They felt that if they booked together, it might attract attention or raise suspicions. They even booked seats far apart to spread out throughout the plane. The time of this flight was the morning of March 31, 1970. At that time, there wasn't as much strictness on airline passengers as there is today. Boarding a plane was like boarding a bus or any other means of transport. So, moving weapons onto the plane wasn't that difficult; in fact, it was somewhat easy. The nine students arrived at the airport separately, each arriving alone, and all of them were wearing long coats to hide their swords and weapons inside. After that, they boarded the plane in the same manner, individually, without speaking to each other or having any contact. Each one of them sat in their seat far from the others, until the plane took off from the airport.
The Moment of Taking Control of the Plane
The total number of passengers on the plane was 122 people. These people were from various segments of society: tourists, businessmen, young, and old. Approximately 95% of them were Japanese. About 20 minutes after takeoff, the plane had stabilized in the air at a high and steady altitude, and the pilot turned off the seatbelt sign. At that point, the first person from the group of nine, the man considered their leader, Takamura Tamia, who was the oldest at 27 years old, stood up. Takamura stood in the middle of the aisle and loudly addressed the plane's passengers, telling them: "This plane is hijacked. Comply with orders and nothing will happen to you." The passengers at that moment didn't feel much fear or tension, until Takamura suddenly pulled out his samurai sword from his coat and began waving it in the passengers' faces, threatening them again and ordering them not to move. Immediately after, his companions stood up from their places and brandished their weapons. Most of them were carrying samurai swords, but some also had pistols. Their weapons varied between swords, small knives, and pistols. They also had bags which they claimed contained explosives. They kept threatening the passengers that these bags contained explosives. When the passengers saw the situation and that there were nine hijackers on the plane, heavily armed with various types of weapons, panic and fear began to spread among them, and even young children started crying.
Hijackers' Initial Demands
The nine students quickly managed to control the plane and its passengers. Airplane hijackings in the 1970s weren't new; in fact, they were widespread around the world in that time. Such incidents usually occurred for financial or political reasons, so cooperation with the hijackers was the best way to ensure everyone's safety. The nine students quickly took control of the plane and calmed the passengers. The students then stormed the cockpit, and their leader, Takamura, raised his sword at the pilot and co-pilot, ordering them to change the flight path and head to Cuba. Their demand was completely unexpected, as Cuba is very far from Japan, requiring the plane to travel 12,500 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean. The pilot responded that this was impossible, as the plane they were on was a small Boeing 727, not equipped for such long flights, and couldn't cross the Pacific Ocean without refueling.
An Alternative Plan: North Korea
Their leader, Takamura, remained puzzled by the pilot's unexpected response. They had planned everything, but this was the only thing they hadn't accounted for. He began to think of alternative plans and informed his comrades of the situation, and they began to consult with each other to find a solution to their problem. In the end, they decided that they would change their destination. If they couldn't go to Cuba with this plane, then they would go to another nearby country that could support them. The closest country they could think of was North Korea. North Korea is very close to Japan.
Negotiations for Landing in Fukuoka
The pilot told Takamura that the plane couldn't reach North Korea because it didn't have enough fuel. "It's true that North Korea is close to us, but this plane was on a domestic flight within Japan, so we didn't fuel it enough to reach North Korea. The fuel we have is only enough to reach Fukuoka, our original destination." At this point, Takamura had some doubts that the pilot might be deceiving him, but he said: "Okay, if we have to land in Fukuoka, then let's land in Fukuoka. We'll refuel the plane at the airport and fly again to North Korea, and the passengers will stay with us." The pilot said: "Okay." So, the pilot agreed to land the plane at Fukuoka airport, the original destination of the flight. Takamura ordered the pilot to contact the authorities and inform them of their demand to refuel the plane upon landing, adding: "And when we finish refueling the plane, we will take off again and fly to North Korea. Tell them that the safety of the passengers depends on their compliance with our demands."
Plane's Arrival in Fukuoka and Deputy Minister's Role
On the other side, the man overseeing the case on behalf of the authorities was the Deputy Minister of Transport, Shinjiro Yamamura. The news of the plane's hijacking immediately spread in the media, and Japanese news channels began live coverage of the incident. At 9 AM, the plane landed at Fukuoka airport. A large crowd of people, including officials, journalists, media personnel, and ordinary citizens driven by curiosity, were there to greet it. Airport officials and security forces surrounded the plane, but no one entered it. They knew the hijackers were armed and had explosives. The hijackers' leader, Takamura, took the communication headset from the pilot and asked him to connect him with the officials. Shinjiro Yamamura was on the other end of the line. Negotiations began between Takamura and Shinjiro. Takamura immediately demanded that the plane be supplied with enough fuel to reach Cuba again, but Deputy Minister Shinjiro assured him that this was impossible and that there was no way the plane they were on could reach Cuba.
Destination Change to North Korea Again
Takamura had expected this response, but he wanted to try anyway to ensure the pilot wasn't deceiving him. Takamura replied to the deputy minister: "Okay, no problem, if we're not going to Cuba, then we'll go to North Korea. And don't try to tell me the plane can't reach North Korea, it's close to us. So fulfill our request and refuel the plane completely before we do anything regrettable." At this point, Deputy Minister Shinjiro began to try to negotiate and stall. Takamura began to get angry and lose his temper, and started threatening and saying: "We are heavily armed with all kinds of weapons. We have swords, pistols, and explosives. If you don't comply with our demands, we may be forced to harm our hostages, and you will be responsible for anything that happens to them." These discussions and conversations continued intermittently for several hours.
Release of Some Passengers
During these intermittent conversations, the plane's door suddenly opened, and a number of passengers disembarked. It quickly became clear that the passengers' departure was at the hijackers' command. The passengers who disembarked numbered 23, and all of them were elderly, children, or women. The hijackers felt they were under pressure, so they decided to release them. They still had about 100 hostages remaining from the passengers and crew. After several hours of the plane being on standby, the authorities had no choice but to comply with the hijackers' demands, especially after they began to escalate their threats seriously. They felt that the hijackers had truly lost their temper, and things could get out of control. So, they decided that the safest course of action for everyone was to refuel the plane.
The Pilot's and Authorities' Covert Plan
After the fuel tank was completely filled, the plane had to take off again under the hijackers' orders. But before takeoff, airport officials handed the pilot a map showing the Korean Peninsula, with a dot indicating the location of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. They gave the pilot this map because neither the pilot nor the co-pilot had ever flown to North Korea before, so they didn't know the way. The pilot was surprised by the map, as it was just a blank map showing nothing, and it was impossible for it to be useful for flying. The pilot was concerned that airport officials would make him fly again without any clear instructions or even contact with North Korea. In any case, the pilot was forced to take off again and try his best to find a way to North Korea. The problem was that North Korea is an isolated country, and there are no direct relations or contact between it and Japan.
Approaching North Korea
The pilot's biggest fear was that North Korean forces might consider them enemies and attack them before they could even explain their situation. They took off from Fukuoka, Japan, and flew through South Korea by coordinating with its authorities. They were now approaching an area called the "Demilitarized Zone" between South Korea and North Korea. This area stretches along the border between the two Koreas, and it's only 4 kilometers wide. In these 4 kilometers, there are no weapons or military forces from either North or South Korea, to maintain a degree of peace. This area is forbidden for any entity, plane, or vehicle to cross without permission and coordination. Anything that enters this area and approaches North Korea will most likely be considered a hostile entity by North Korea and could be immediately eliminated without any warning. And even now, there was no contact with North Korea.
An Unexpected Welcome and Destination Confirmation
The pilot told the hijackers, led by Takamura, that entering this demilitarized zone and attempting to cross it would be a huge risk, as there was no contact between them and the North Korean authorities, and they might open fire before giving them a chance to explain their situation. But Takamura rejected the pilot's words and insisted that they continue on their way and enter North Korea. The pilot and co-pilot had no other choice but to continue flying, and they kept trying to contact North Korea, especially Pyongyang Airport. They were broadcasting their calls on an open radio frequency, hoping it would reach Pyongyang Airport, but there was no reply from North Korea. The plane continued its journey forward. At that moment, two fighter jets suddenly appeared in front of them, and before they could comprehend what was happening, the jets opened fire on them. At that moment, everyone was terrified and thought it was their end. But they quickly realized that the shots hadn't hit them, which likely meant they were warning shots. Then, suddenly, the pilot received a reply via radio. The caller was speaking English, but with a heavy Korean accent, and told the pilot: "You have entered North Korean airspace, identify yourselves." The pilot began trying to explain the situation and clarify that the plane was hijacked and that the hijackers had requested to be brought to North Korea. In the end, it seemed that the person on the other end, from North Korea, understood the situation, and it appeared that North Korean authorities were already aware of the plane's situation and that the news had reached them. Ultimately, the person communicating with the pilot informed him that their plane was welcome in North Korea, and that officials had granted them permission to land at Pyongyang International Airport. The pilot thanked the person on the line and continued on his way to Pyongyang Airport under the guidance of the control tower and the escort of the fighter jets.
The Japanese Ruse is Exposed
The nine students were overjoyed; they felt victorious and that their ally, North Korea, was welcoming and receiving them. The plane finally landed at the airport of North Korea's capital, Pyongyang. One of the students even took the plane's internal microphone, which the pilot used to speak to passengers, and happily announced to the passengers that they had reached North Korea, their desired destination. He even apologized to them, saying that everything they were doing was for the benefit of Japan and its future, and that they would now be able to release them. The nine students looked out the plane's windows and saw North Korean flags fluttering in every corner of the airport building. On the runway, a large crowd of people had gathered under the plane, including military personnel, officials, and even ordinary citizens. They were all holding North Korean flags and welcoming their guests, and they had even brought a group of young schoolgirls singing a welcoming song for them. Officials announced over loudspeakers in the airport that they welcomed the "Japanese heroes." The nine students inside the plane were at the peak of their enthusiasm. This was their moment of triumph, and they were preparing to disembark from the plane. But what they didn't know at that moment was that they were actually in the middle of a trap set for them by the Japanese authorities. The plane had indeed landed at the Korean capital's airport, but this was not North Korea's capital airport; rather, it was Seoul's airport, the capital of South Korea.
Details of the Deception
When the plane had previously landed at Fukuoka airport in Japan, and the Deputy Minister of Transport had been arguing with them for hours, Japanese authorities were secretly concocting a quick and clever rescue plan. They knew they would need the assistance of South Korean authorities to execute their plan. The idea was simply for the plane to land at a South Korean airport, but to make the hijackers believe the plane had landed at a North Korean airport, lure them off the plane, and then arrest them and free the passengers. The only logical location was Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Japanese authorities quickly contacted South Korean authorities, and officials in South Korea immediately expressed their full readiness to participate and assist in any possible way. They knew that if this plane reached North Korea, it would be a victory for North Korea, their arch-enemy, and they absolutely would not allow that to happen. Executing a plan like this would take some time, which explains why Japanese authorities and the Deputy Minister of Transport stalled them for hours after they landed at Fukuoka airport. All of that was to buy time. The plane actually didn't need to land at Fukuoka airport. The plane had been fully fueled from the beginning. And when the hijackers asked the pilot to divert the flight to North Korea, he could have done so. But the pilot used his wits and knew that he had to convince them that the plane didn't have enough fuel to reach North Korea and that they had to land in Fukuoka to refuel. In this situation, the pilot wanted to give the authorities time to cook up a rescue plan, and that's exactly what happened.
Preparing Gimpo Airport
When Japanese authorities contacted South Korean authorities and devised this plan, South Korean officials tried to use every second they had and began preparing the airport to convince the hijackers that this was North Korea. In Seoul, there are two international airports: the larger one called Incheon, and the smaller one called Gimpo. They didn't use the larger airport; they used the smaller one because the smaller one would be more convincing as a North Korean airport, and its preparation would be faster. They quickly removed any signs that might indicate this was an airport in South Korea. They removed all advertisements and posters. And there were even a number of planes at the airport belonging to different airlines with various logos. The presence of these planes would not be logical in North Korea, so they had to clear the airport of most planes as quickly as possible. And they changed company logos that might be on trucks and vehicles and in various places. They tried to clean up everything as quickly as possible. And quickly, they displayed North Korean flags everywhere around the airport. They hung them on buildings and gathered a crowd of people, and distributed North Korean flags to them. They even brought a group of schoolgirls to sing the North Korean national anthem. They tried to arrange everything to make this deception as perfect as possible.
The Full Exposure of the Deception
Do you remember the silly map airport officials gave the pilot? This was the only thing the hijackers allowed to reach the pilot. They thought it might help him determine the route and reach North Korea. But in reality, behind this map was a small note. This note contained a message for the pilot to tune the radio to a specific frequency (121.5). Through this frequency, officials communicated with the pilot and informed him of the plan. All of this was done covertly without the hijackers noticing. So the pilot knew the plan, and everything that happened afterward was just an act. The fighter jets were planes belonging to South Korean forces, and the airport where they landed was Gimpo Airport in Seoul. The nine students thought they had landed in North Korea. And there were soldiers outside speaking through loudspeakers, welcoming them, and they even brought a small bus to take them from the runway to the airport building. The nine students began preparing to disembark from the plane, and they were about to exit. But at that moment, their leader Takamura had doubts, so he stopped his companions and told them, "Wait, don't get off now." As Takamura looked out the plane's window, he noticed some strange things. He noticed that there were foreign cars in the airport, meaning cars manufactured by companies that should not be present in North Korea, especially since it is isolated from the world. And even stranger, he also noticed a black man wearing a military uniform. Takamura wondered, "Since when are there black men in North Korea?" This made him surprised and ponder. Even if this man might be a diplomat from another country or something similar, why was he wearing a military uniform? It's impossible for there to be a black military man in North Korea. This man belonged to the American forces. When Takamura saw him and began to suspect, the first thing he did was prevent his companions from opening the plane door. After that, he went and communicated with the officials outside through the plane's radio and made a strange request. He told them, "If we are indeed in North Korea, then right now, bring us a large picture of Leader Kim Il Sung." Takamura's thinking was that if this was indeed North Korea, then pictures of their leader should be everywhere in the airport, because he is their sacred symbol. It is well-known that in every place and every institution in North Korea, there must be large-sized pictures of him hanging. So he told them, "Bring me one of these large pictures." Here, the group was in trouble; they couldn't get such a picture quickly. So they kept stalling and making up excuses, saying that this was a military airport and they didn't have large pictures of the leader. Here, Takamura became almost certain that this was not North Korea. But to be even more certain, he suddenly went and opened the plane door and called out to the bus driver who was waiting below to take them to the airport building, and asked him loudly, "Are we in Seoul?" The bus driver, of course, was nervous and didn't understand what was happening, so he replied, "Yes." And at this point, Takamura removed all doubt, closed the plane door, went back inside, and told his companions that it was a trick.
The Dilemma of Negotiations After the Deception Was Exposed
Japanese and Korean officials felt great disappointment, and now they had to go back and negotiate with the hijackers again. The plane was parked on the runway of Gimpo Airport in Seoul. The nine students were furious because the officials had tried to deceive them. Officials on the other side were discussing among themselves how to solve this dilemma, all agreeing on one thing: they would never allow this plane to go to North Korea with all those passengers on board. On the other hand, the hijackers' leader, Takamura, contacted the officials via radio and threatened them again that they were endangering the lives of the passengers with their actions, and he demanded again that the plane be refueled and that they be allowed to go to North Korea. But the officials, led by the Deputy Minister of Transport Shinjiro, kept stalling as they had done earlier at Fukuoka Airport. Hours passed, then two, then three, and the hours continued to pass slowly for the nine students and the plane's passengers, who were beginning to lose their patience. At first, the passengers were cooperative in order to get out safely, but now that things were dragging on, their spirits began to wear down, and even the atmosphere inside the plane became unbearable. Food on the plane ran out, so everyone was hungry. And the hijackers refused to take food from outside because they were afraid that the authorities might put sleeping pills in the food, for example. Even the bathrooms in the plane were in a deplorable, ruined state. The toilets even no longer worked because they were not designed for such a huge number of uses without being cleaned. And even the plane's air conditioning was no longer working because the plane's fuel had run out, and the air conditioning needed power, and South Korean authorities refused to supply the plane with fuel.
Rising Tension and Exchange Request
The situation remained tense, and a full day (24 hours) passed with the plane still parked in its spot. Throughout these hours, negotiations between the hijackers and officials grew more intense. The two parties who usually spoke with each other were Takamura and the Japanese Deputy Minister of Transport Shinjiro. The Deputy Minister always told him: "We will never let this plane go to North Korea with all these people on board. You don't even know if North Korea will receive you. What guarantees you that they won't blow up the plane as soon as it enters their airspace?" This question silenced Takamura for a moment, because they truly had no contact with North Korea. Suddenly, in the middle of negotiations, North Korea entered the line. Although there was no diplomatic representation between Japan and North Korea, North Korea sent a message to the Japanese authorities stating that they were prepared to receive the nine students, and furthermore, they would guarantee the safety of the plane and its return to Japan. Here, the equation completely changed. If North Korea was willing to receive these nine, and willing to return the plane, then they had no problem letting the hijackers go to North Korea, but of course, without the passengers. No matter what, they would not let the passengers go to North Korea. From here, the officials proposed a suggestion to the hijackers: that they release all the passengers, and in return, they would take one important person as a hostage. This person was the Deputy Minister of Transport Shinjiro Yamamura. The Deputy Minister himself volunteered for this, based on the Japanese culture where the person in position or responsible bears the consequences of an incident like this. He is responsible for the problem and responsible for solving it. And if one of the passengers was harmed or died, God forbid, he would be responsible. These negotiations and discussions continued, and more than three days passed with the plane stopped on the airport runway. During this long period, the hijackers had to accept that the authorities bring them food. But, as a precaution, the hijackers did not eat at the same time, so that if there was, for example, a sedative in the food, they wouldn't all lose consciousness together.
The Exchange and Return to North Korea
In the end, after seeing that the passengers had reached their breaking point, the hijackers decided to accept the deal and release the passengers in exchange for the Deputy Minister. But there was a dilemma that needed to be resolved: the hijackers didn't want to release the passengers before the Deputy Minister boarded the plane, and the officials didn't want to let the Deputy Minister board the plane before the hijackers released the passengers. Neither side trusted the other. The hijackers feared that if they released the passengers, the Deputy Minister wouldn't board the plane. And the officials feared that if the Deputy Minister boarded the plane, the hijackers wouldn't release the passengers. This was the agreed-upon solution: one of the nine hijackers would disembark from the plane, and the Deputy Minister would board, making it an exchange. After this exchange, the hijackers released all the passengers and most of the plane's crew. Now, only the pilot, co-pilot, one crew member, the nine hijackers, and the Deputy Minister remained on the plane, making a total of 13 people. The hijacker who had disembarked returned after the passengers had left. The plane was then refueled and cleared for takeoff again. Indeed, the plane took off and headed for North Korea.
The Hijackers' Lives in North Korea
The plane entered North Korea and was guided by the control tower at Pyongyang International Airport for landing. After the plane landed, a formal reception delegation was waiting for the nine students. North Korea welcomed the "nine Japanese heroes," as they called them, and then also welcomed the Deputy Minister, the pilot, the co-pilot, and the last crew member who remained with them from the plane's staff. Afterward, they were taken to the most luxurious hotel in North Korea and served the best food. During that period, the nine students made a startling confession to the Deputy Minister: all the weapons they had used during the operation were fake. The swords, knives, pistols, and bags they claimed contained explosives, all were toys and nothing was real. This was a shock to the Deputy Minister and to all the officials who heard the news later. After the group spent two days there as guests of North Korea, the authorities allowed the Deputy Minister, the pilot, his co-pilot, and the crew member with them to take the plane and return to Japan. And indeed, they returned to Japan, where they received a grand reception, and the Deputy Minister was specially celebrated for putting himself in harm's way to save the passengers.
The Fate of the Hijackers After Their Return
As for the nine students, they remained in North Korea, and some of them are still there today, while others, of course, have passed away over the years. The world remained unaware of their fate for a long time. Japan demanded their extradition from North Korea and continues to do so today, but North Korea refuses. The leader of North Korea at the time, Kim Il Sung, considered these nine individuals as a tool that could be used for his propaganda purposes. He could boast about them to the world and say, "Look, these nine Japanese people came to North Korea because they know that North Korea and its principles and values are greater than their own country." The Korean leader granted the Japanese nine individuals a very comfortable life within North Korea. He housed them in their own private, walled village called "Little Japan." This village is located within the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. It was not a large village, but rather more like a residential complex. In this complex, everything they needed was provided: servants, cooks, and cleaners. They lived a luxurious life that 99% of North Korea's population does not experience. However, at the same time, they were completely controlled in all their movements. They were not allowed to leave this village without permission. This place was like a prison, but a luxurious one.
The Hijackers' Marriages and Family Formation
One of the strange things also was that one of the nine students, when he was at the University of Tokyo, had a girlfriend. He hadn't told her about the plane hijacking, but he had told her that he would be away for a year or two and would return, and if she wanted to know the reason, she should follow the news. The girl was shocked when the news spread and she learned that her boyfriend was one of the nine hijackers. So she followed him to North Korea. She went to China, and there, at the North Korean embassy, she pleaded with the ambassador and embassy officials and said, "Please, take me to North Korea, take me to my beloved." After these officials consulted and communicated with the authorities in North Korea, they told her, "Okay," and took her to her boyfriend. So the lovers reunited, got married, and lived together in North Korea. This apparently caused jealousy among the rest of the nine. After several years of the plane hijacking incident, a number of Japanese women suddenly disappeared. These women had a communist background, meaning they held the same ideas and orientations as the nine students. This group of women had gone on a trip to Europe, and there they suddenly disappeared without a trace. It is believed that North Korean authorities or intelligence agencies were the ones who carried out this operation. And it is believed that this was Leader Kim Il Sung's plan to marry off the nine Japanese men. These Japanese women who disappeared overnight became their wives and lived with them in the same village or community that they called "Little Japan."
The Life of Japanese Families in North Korea
The hijackers became a Japanese community within this village. And instead of nine Japanese individuals, there were now nine Japanese families. All of them were served to the highest degree, living the most luxurious life one could live in North Korea. They had their servants, their doctors, and even a small حprivate school for their children, and they had a cinema and a library. Everything they needed was provided to them. Some Japanese journalists were able to visit this village over the past years with permission and under the supervision of North Korean authorities. So there are pictures of this village, and pictures of their homes from inside, and pictures of some of the remaining nine who are still alive today. There's an interview from 2017 with Moriaki Wakabayashi who was the guitarist in the rising musical band. Some of them are still alive and living in North Korea today, but some have passed away over the years, including the group's leader, Takamura.
The Fate of the Hijackers Who Returned to Japan
Two of them were arrested by the Japanese authorities. After they settled in North Korea, it seems that North Korean authorities subjected them to brainwashing or re-education. They forgot about the military training, and they forgot about the Japanese communist revolution that they had done all this for. Instead, they were instilled with a new goal: to serve North Korea's agenda and interests. So they became mere pawns used by the North Korean regime for its own benefit, and they were employed in various external departments to serve its interests around the world. For example, it appears that some of them went to Europe or to different countries around the world to try to recruit Japanese people from their own kind to serve North Korean causes. All of these movements were carried out with forged passports.
Now, let's return to the two who were arrested by Japan. One of the nine was 16 years old when they hijacked the plane, and he was still in school; he was the youngest. This person's name is Yasuhiro Shibata. Under instructions from North Korean authorities, he returned to Japan in 1985, 15 years after the plane hijacking incident. He entered Japan with a forged passport, and the purpose of his return to Japan was apparently to recruit some individuals to serve North Korean interests. However, Japanese authorities uncovered him and he was arrested, and sentenced to ten years in prison. This is his picture after serving his sentence and being released from prison. The second man who was arrested from the nine was named Yoshimi Tanaka. This man apparently was made to work by North Korea in the field of counterfeiting US dollars. North Korea is considered the largest counterfeiter of the US dollar in the world. They consider it as hitting two birds with one stone: on one hand, they earn money, and on the other hand, they weaken the economy of their major enemy, America. This man, Yoshimi Tanaka, apparently worked in one of the money counterfeiting centers that North Korea operates, and this center was located in Thailand. He was arrested in Thailand after security forces raided this center. He was then handed over to Japan in 2000, and there he was sentenced to prison and served his sentence and was released. So these two who were arrested served their sentences and were released, and they are still living in Japan. Of the nine, seven remained in North Korea. Some of them, as we said, died over the years, and the rest seem to want to return to Japan. News emerged in 2004 that the hijackers who were still in North Korea asked the Korean authorities to allow them to return to Japan, and they were even willing to face trial and go to prison and serve their sentences. However, it appears that the Korean authorities rejected their request. But the strange thing is that they allowed their children to go to Japan. Although the children were born and raised in North Korea, inside their "Little Japan," they were allowed to return to Japan. Most likely, they saw that their numbers were increasing, and if they stayed there, they might marry and their numbers would increase further, and North Korea did not want a large Japanese community within its borders. So they decided to send the children back to Japan, and most of the children are currently living in Japan.
The Secret of the Fathers' Non-Return and a Tragic Death
The simple reason for not allowing the fathers to return with their children is that these hijackers became involved in the North Korean system, and as we mentioned, they worked on several external fronts around the world, traveled to foreign countries, recruited individuals, and so on. So it is probable that if they returned to Japan, they might leak secret information or things that the Korean regime does not want to be leaked. Hence, they are now effectively under house arrest in North Korea, and they will be forced, against their will, to live out the rest of their lives there. Before we conclude the story, do you remember Deputy Minister of Transport Shinjiro Yamamura? In 1992, 22 years after the hijacking incident, he was scheduled to travel to North Korea to conduct negotiations with the authorities there for the extradition of the hijackers to Japan. There was even talk of pardoning them and similar matters. They wanted to arrange a deal for their return. However, on the very day he was scheduled to depart for North Korea, before he left his house, his daughter stabbed him with a knife and killed him. His daughter suffered from severe mental illness and had an episode of madness, taking a knife and stabbing her father, who died. It was a very strange incident that occurred on the same day he was scheduled to go to North Korea. Deputy Minister Shinjiro is still considered a hero in Japan, and a statue has even been erected in his memory in Suwa City, his hometown.