Tokyo Court Orders North Korea to Compensate Lured Migrants

Thu Jan 29 2026 13:33:25 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a landmark ruling, a Tokyo court has ordered North Korea to pay compensation to four individuals misled by a propaganda scheme that promised a better life in the North, revealing the grim reality of forced labor and hardship.

A Tokyo court has demanded that North Korea pay 88 million yen in compensation to four former migrants lured by promises of a prosperous life that turned out to be a harsh existence of forced labor. The ruling, although largely symbolic due to North Korea's non-compliance, marks a significant step in addressing historical grievances against the rogue state.

A Tokyo court has ruled that North Korea must compensate four individuals with 88 million Japanese yen (around $570,000), after they were lured to the country by a misleading propaganda scheme decades ago.

The plaintiffs testified that North Korea was pitched to them as a paradise on Earth. However, once there, they faced severe hardships, including forced labor, and eventually managed to escape.

Despite the ruling's significance, it is mainly symbolic since North Korea has not responded to the legal proceedings, and its leader, Kim Jong Un, has ignored court summons.

This historic ruling follows years of legal battles in Japan, with plaintiffs' lawyer, Atsushi Shiraki, highlighting that it is the first instance where a Japanese court recognized North Korea's malpractice.

Over 90,000 ethnic Koreans, known as Zainichi Koreans, relocated to North Korea between 1959 and 1984 under a state-sponsored resettlement scheme that promised free healthcare, education, and job opportunities.

In reality, many found themselves subjected to inhumane conditions, forced to work labor-intensive jobs without any freedom of movement. One plaintiff, Eiko Kawasaki, moved to North Korea at 17 and escaped in 2003. She is now 83 years old and was part of a group that filed for compensation in 2018.

Although two of the original plaintiffs have passed away, their families continued to pursue the case. In 2022, a district court had dismissed the compensation claims, deeming them beyond its jurisdiction and that the statute of limitations had expired.

However, earlier this year, a Tokyo High Court ruled that the case indeed fell under Japanese jurisdiction and confirmed the violation of the plaintiffs' rights by North Korea.

Judge Taiichi Kamino remarked, It's not an overstatement to say most of their lives were ruined by North Korea. Lawyers representing the plaintiffs have acknowledged the ruling's significance but emphasized that enforcing it and securing compensation from North Korea poses a substantial challenge.