The Japanese police recovered seven bodies from a wooden boat on Tuesday, saying that the boat likely came from North Korea. Late last year, the number of North Korean fishing vessels found either on Japanese shores or in waters nearby increased dramatically. The rise in incidents came at the same time that a push by North Korean propaganda for fisherman to meet annual seafood quotas was recorded. According to Japan’s coast guard, it handled 104 cases of suspected North Korean vessels found adrift or aground in 2017.
