On Monday, a Japanese court ruled in favor of North Korean defectors who sued the North Korean government, claiming they had been deceived and suffered after crossing into North Korea.
Nippon TV reported that the Tokyo District Court ordered the North Korean government to pay a total of 88 million JPY (approximately 569,500 USD) in damages to four defectors. These individuals had participated in the North Korean repatriation project and subsequently endured harsh living conditions.
The plaintiffs’ legal team emphasized that this marks the first instance of a Japanese court issuing a compensation order against the North Korean government.
From 1959 to 1984, North Korea conducted a repatriation project that relocated Japanese citizens and their families to North Korea.
The plaintiffs alleged they were lured to North Korea by false propaganda portraying it as a paradise on earth with free healthcare and education. Instead, they were subjected to prolonged periods of severe hardship. They sought 400 million JPY (about 2.6 million USD) in compensation.
In January 2022, the Tokyo District Court initially dismissed the case, citing lack of jurisdiction over actions that occurred within North Korea.
However, in October 2023, the Tokyo High Court overturned this decision. It ruled that bringing individuals to North Korea and preventing their departure constituted a single, continuous illegal act. The case was subsequently remanded to the Tokyo District Court for further proceedings.