--- description: Eight bodies washed ashore northern Japan on a boat and are believed to be North Korean defectors. title: A 'Ghost Ship' Carrying 8 Bodies Washed Up in Japan image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta3edd98d8ed85396/6988e70b22fb853057e23cd9/rtx3jygb-layout-comp.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Japan](/tag/japan/) ## Japan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A 'Ghost Ship' Carrying 8 Bodies Washed Up in Japan. They May Have Been North Korean Defectors ## Video: Eight Men Found Washed Ashore in Japan Say They Are North Korean [Watch (HLS stream): Eight Men Found Washed Ashore in Japan Say They Are North Korean](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4v4m57TI.m3u8) (1:04)  _Published 2017-11-24. Japanese police said Friday they are investigating eight men found on Japan’s northern coast who say they are from North Korea and washed ashore after their boat broke down._ by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:03 AM CUTPublished: Nov 28, 2017 3:53 AM CUT  A wooden boat, which drifted ashore with eight partially skeletal bodies and was found by the Japan Coast Guard, is seen in Oga, Akita Prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo on Nov. 27, 2017. A wooden boat, which drifted ashore with eight partially skeletal bodies and was found by the Japan Coast Guard, is seen in Oga, Akita Prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo on Nov. 27, 2017.Kyodo—Reuters by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:03 AM CUTPublished: Nov 28, 2017 3:53 AM CUT Eight bodies that washed ashore aboard a boat in northern Japan are [believed to be North Korean defectors](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2017/11/8a929598c1c5-8-bodies-found-on-washed-up-boat-in-northern-japan.html "undefined"). When spotted on a beach Sunday morning, the wooden vessel was so battered that some of bodies had been reduced to just bone, according to Japan’s Kyodo News. “I was surprised to see the boat in such a bad condition,” the 68 year-old woman who first saw the boat told rescue workers, [Kyodo News](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2017/11/8a929598c1c5-8-bodies-found-on-washed-up-boat-in-northern-japan.html "undefined") reports. The Japan Coast Guard said it first saw the craft last Friday, but bad weather prevented quicker inspection. [Clues left behind](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/11/27/a-ghost-ship-washed-ashore-in-japan-and-clues-point-to-north-korean-defectors/?utm%5Fterm=.9c36ea5b2499 "undefined") on the boat suggest the itinerants defected from North Korea, 450 miles from the shore. Investigators found unused life-vests with Korean lettering and an empty cigarette pack of a popular brand in North Korea, the Washington _Post_ reports. The discovery of the “ghost ship” follows a string of similar incidents. Last week, a North Korean fishing boat was found carrying eight men 44 miles south of the latest discovery. So far this year, 44 North Korean boats are believed to have washed up on Japan’s shore. In 2016, there were 66\. Some experts say the episodes suggest food shortages in the reclusive state, according to [Sky News](https://news.sky.com/story/ghost-ship-of-decomposed-bodies-washed-ashore-in-sea-of-japan-11146745 "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5038781/north-korea-defectors-japan-ghost-ship/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5038781/north-korea-defectors-japan-ghost-ship/"},"headline":"A 'Ghost Ship' Carrying 8 Bodies Washed Up in Japan. 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