A Japanese court has ruled North Korea must pay damages to four individuals who were lured by false promises of a 'paradise on Earth' under a post-war repatriation scheme. The Tokyo District Court ordered Pyongyang to compensate each plaintiff 22 million yen (£143,000), totalling 88 million yen (£572,000), for human rights violations.
Judge Taiichi Kamino said the plaintiffs endured decades of harsh conditions without freedom to choose their residence, school or jobs. 'It's not an overstatement to say most of their lives were ruined by North Korea,' he stated. The court acknowledged the individuals—both ethnic Koreans and Japanese—had been deceived by North Korean propaganda and forcibly detained after moving under a 1959-1984 programme.
Lawyer Kenji Fukuda welcomed the ruling but noted enforcement would be difficult. 'The ruling is just a piece of paper and getting the compensation money is a challenge,' he said. Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic relations, and Pyongyang did not respond to the lawsuit or send representatives to court.
One plaintiff, Eiko Kawasaki, 83, a second-generation Korean born in Kyoto, moved to North Korea in 1960 after promotion by the pro-Pyongyang group Chongryon. She was stuck there for 43 years until defecting to Japan via China in 2003, leaving behind her grown children. 'I think North Korea will ignore the ruling... I don't think Kim Jong Un would react or comment,' she said.
The case began in 2018 with five plaintiffs seeking £650,000 each. Two have since died, but one case was taken up by a son. In 2022, a lower court rejected claims on jurisdictional grounds, but the Tokyo High Court reversed that decision in 2023, acknowledging Japan's jurisdiction and ordering a review of damages.
Human Rights Watch's Japan director, Kane Doi, urged the Japanese government to build on the ruling and press North Korea to take responsibility, so other victims and their families can resettle in Japan. More than 93,000 ethnic Koreans and Japanese moved to the North under the programme; only about 150 have returned.
