Japanese term for unknown ships
 is a Japanese term that generally refers to any seaborne vessel that behaves suspiciously. In Japan, this term is often used to refer to North Korean vessels found in the waters near Japan which are suspected of criminal activity, such as poaching or smuggling.
North Korean fushin-sen.
The term "fushin-sen" has become synonymous with North Korean vessels that serve as a connection between North Korean criminal activity and the Yakuza. There are incidents of fushin-sen being involved in the smuggling of agents, illegal immigrants, and drugs, as well as the abduction and trafficking of Japanese people. According to the former Secretary of the Public Security Intelligence Agency, criminal activity such as organized crime and front companies are suspected of using fushin-sen to supply drugs to the Yakuza, who already have connections with North Korean agents and institutions.
Fushin-sen are used by a special unit of the North Korean regime, and the operatives on board are carefully selected. These operatives may be trained in combat tactics, such as sniping and Kyeok Sul Do. They may also have advanced foreign language skills, used to impersonate citizens and establish permanent residency in their destination. Operatives smuggled into Japan by seacraft are usually concealed and blend in as members of society, while they gather intelligence or carry out orders. Such operatives may coerce others to carry out criminal activities for them. In Japan, several such operatives are wanted by Interpol.
Since 1999, the Japanese police and Coast Guard are actively working to educate civilians about the fushin-sen issue and the dangers they pose to public safety. In coastal areas, prefectural police headquarters and police stations have been conducting active seminars for companies and fishermen since the 1950s. It has not always been possible to prevent abduction and smuggling. The Japan Coast Guard recommends that citizens call 118 (the telephone number for emergency calls for incidents and accidents at sea in Japan) if a person witnesses a suspicious ship that appears to be of North Korean origin.
Features.
The following list describes possible features of suspected North Korean fushin-sen:
Encounters.
Niigata JRCS Center Bombing Attempt.
On December 4, 1959, the South Korean government conducted a joint return project for Koreans in Japan with the Japanese Red Cross Society. In response, the North Korean government and Koreans in Japan jointly carried out terrorist activities, such as the bombing of trains and ships in Japan and the abductions of important people.
Kidnapping of Kim Dae-jung.
Kim Dae-jung, a South Korean politician, was living in exile in Japan due to his opposition to the power regime in South Korea at that time. On August 8, 1973, as he left a meeting in Tokyo, he was kidnapped by agents working for the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. He was taken to Osaka and put aboard a boat which sailed towards South Korea. The vessel was tracked by an airplane of the Japanese Maritime Defense Force which fired an illuminating shell as the kidnappers brought Kim (with weights attached to him) on deck, apparently intending to drown him. The vessel continued to South Korea and Kim was put under house arrest. In 1998, Kim became the president of South Korea.
Suspicious ship off the Noto Peninsula.
On March 23, 1999, a ship believed to be a North Korean craft ship appeared off the Noto Peninsula in the Sea of Japan. It was tracked by the Japan Coast Guard and the Maritime Self-Defense Force. For the first time, the Maritime Self-Defense Force was issued a maritime security action, a "de facto" battle order. The craft ship was missed, but this incident triggered the realization of hull shooting and the maintenance of patrol boats due to the revision of the Japan Coast Guard Law, as well as the formation of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Special Boarding Unit and on-site inspection team with escort vessels.
Kyushu Southwest Sea Area Fushin-sen Incident (Battle of Amami-Ōshima).
On December 22, 2001, an unidentified vessel was detected in the East China Sea off the southwest coast of Kyushu. Four Coast Guard ships approached the vessel and ordered it to halt. When it did not, the Coast Guard fired warning shots, and the unidentified vessel returned fire. A six-hour gun battle ensued, ending when the unidentified vessel apparently scuttled itself, leaving no survivors. In 2003, Japan raised the hull in order to identify the vessel and determined that it was a North Korean spy ship.
Notes.
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References.
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