N KOREA FLOODING JAPAN WITH DRUGS

North Korea has been getting a lot of attention recently over the
abduction of Japanese and also its spy ship activities. But the
country is also actively engaged in smuggling stimulant drugs into
Japan with the purpose of not only raising a lot of money but also "to
get Japanese people addicted and destroy them," says a former spy for
the Pyongyang regime.

While his story sounds a bit fanciful, there is no doubt drugs are
being smuggled into Japan from North Korea, according to a Japanese
used car salesman and trader, whom we'll call Mr A. He used to go to
North Korea often on business. His customers were mainly in the
northeastern city of Rason, near the borders with China and Russia.

Mr A says that recently a customer asked him if he would be interested
in another kind of business. "He asked me if I would sell stimulant
drugs and heroin in Japan. He suggested I try selling a 350-gram pack
of heroin for 450,000 yen in Japan. I declined his offer and he never
said anything more about it," said Mr A, adding that he was able to
take photos of a sample of the drugs during the meeting.

North Korea has long been suspected of smuggling pep pills, stimulants
and other drugs. In January, a Chinese spy ship was stranded off
Fukuoka Prefecture. Coast guard officials found the ship fully loaded
with stimulant drugs with a total value estimated at 9 billion yen. It
is suspected that the Chinese ship had picked up the drugs in North
Korea.

"Today, between 40-50% of stimulants smuggled into Japan are coming
from North Korea," said an investigator. "Although we are not certain
that North Korea produces the stimulant drugs, it is apparent that
North Korean ships load Chinese products in China on the way to Japan.
Those ships unload their 'cargo' in Shimane, Tottori and Ishikawa
prefectures as well as Hokkaido. Then the yakuza distribute them
across the country. Stimulant drugs can go for 50,000-60,000 yen a
package."

A journalist who is familiar with North Korean issues says: "Putting
together accounts of refugees who have fled North Korea, it seems the
main roles of that country's ships are to carry spies, monitor
American military bases in Japan, smuggle drugs into Japan and smuggle
high tech parts out."

Although the coast guard has said nothing yet, it is highly possible
that there were some drugs on the ship salvaged in the East China Sea
earlier this month.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi might have solved the abductions
issue, but what is he going to do about drug smuggling? (Translated by
Sachie Kanda)