Japan to deport 6 rescued N. Korea fishermen

Six of the 10 North Korean ‘fishermen’ rescued from a tiny wooden boat drifting off the coast of northern Japan will be deported back to their country, an immigration official said on Tuesday. Three of the crew have been arrested on suspicion of theft after they reportedly admitted to ‘taking out’ electronic products from a remote Japanese island, where they landed briefly to take refuge, according to AFP. The immigration office in Hokkaido has started deportation procedures. Dozens of North Korean fishing vessels wash up on Japan’s coast every year, but last month the number of such incidents recorded by Japanese coastguards reached 28 cases – the highest monthly total since records began in 2014.