20 bodies found on boats drifting off the coast of Japan
At least 20 bodies have discovered on 11 wooden boats found drifting off the coast of Japan.
The boats were found in the Sea of Japan by the coastguard during October and November.
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The latest boat, which contained the remains of three people, was pulled ashore into the port at Fukui on Tuesday.
It is believed the boats may have originated from North Korea.
According to Sky News, Korean writing on one of the boats is believed to say "Korean People's Army", while a piece of cloth found on one of the vessels appeared to be part of a North Korean flag.
The bodies were badly decomposed and partially skeletonised.
The BBC reports that experts believe the vessels are North Korean fishing boats that got lost due to a lack of sufficient modern equipment.
Yahoo News adds that North Korea, prone to poor harvests, is trying to expand its fishing industry to boost food security.
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