Tokyo Court Rules North Korea Lured Japanese With State Propaganda, Forced Them Into Labor And Orders Pyongyang To Pay Compensation

A Tokyo high court has ordered North Korea to pay 88 million yen (about $570,000) to four Japanese plaintiffs.

“One of the plaintiffs, Eiko Kawasaki, moved to North Korea in 1960 and escaped decades later A Tokyo court has asked Pyongyang to pay 88 million Japanese yen ($570,000; £416,000) to four people who were lured to North Korea decades ago by a propaganda scheme”

BBC

The plaintiffs say they were lured from Japan decades ago by a state-backed resettlement propaganda campaign and then subjected to harsh conditions including forced labor.

BBC

The ruling was described as historic but largely symbolic because Pyongyang ignored summonses and there is no practical way to enforce the judgment.

The plaintiffs are part of the larger wave of Zainichi Koreans who moved to North Korea between 1959 and 1984.

The plaintiffs are among more than 90,000 Zainichi Koreans who moved from Japan to North Korea between 1959 and 1984.

They were encouraged to relocate after being promised a better life, including a 'paradise on Earth' and free healthcare, education and jobs.

朝日新聞

Survivors say those promises proved false.

At least one plaintiff, Eiko Kawasaki, who went in 1960, escaped in 2003 and is now 83.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs called the ruling 'historic', marking the first time a Japanese court has formally recognised North Korean malpractice in this context.

The legal history reported in the sources shows a multi-stage Japanese court process.

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The case was filed in 2018.

A 2022 Tokyo district court dismissed the claims.

The Tokyo High Court overturned that dismissal in 2023.

The recent judgment formally recognised North Korean wrongdoing.

Judge Taiichi Kamino said the defendants' lives were largely destroyed by North Korea.

Lawyers caution, however, that enforcing payment will be difficult.

Both sources report that North Korea did not respond to the lawsuit or court summonses, leaving the award practically unenforceable.

The BBC explicitly notes that Kim Jong Un has not responded.

朝日新聞

İlke highlights the difficulty of collecting damages and frames the ruling as a formal recognition of wrongdoing, even though Pyongyang ignored the process.

The judgment’s recognition of wrongdoing and the personal testimonies cited by the plaintiffs underscore the human impact — forced labour, restricted freedom, and lives upended.

“Güneşli Tuesday, January 27, 2026 A Tokyo court has ordered North Korea to pay 88 million yen (about $570,000) in compensation to four people who were lured to the country decades ago under a state-backed propaganda campaign, in a ruling described by lawyers as historic despite being largely symbolic”

İlke Haber Ajansı

The sources differ in emphasis: one highlights the court’s formal recognition and the destruction of lives, while the other stresses the symbolic, unenforceable nature of the award.

BBC

The lack of a response from Pyongyang means the ruling’s practical effect is limited even as it offers legal acknowledgment for survivors.