Japan Institute for National Fundamentals

　　　　　The Japanese government announced its own sanctions on North Korea on February 10. The 10 sanctions include seven restrictions on human exchanges, a ban in principle on remittance to North Korea, a ban on calls at Japanese ports by North Korean ships and third country ships after visiting North Korea, and a freeze on assets held by a wider range of organizations and people. The restrictions on human exchanges expanded the range of foreign nationals including executives of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon who are barred from reentering Japan after visiting North Korea. Attracting attention is a new restriction that bars foreign nuclear and missile engineers in Japan from reentering Japan after visiting North Korea.
　　　　　Many experts including myself had asserted that Japan should ban visits to North Korea by university and company researchers belonging to the Chongryon-affiliated Korean Association of Science and Technology in Japan, who have brought nuclear and missile technologies to North Korea under instructions by the Korean Workers’ Party. The Japanese government has at long last included our assertion in the sanction list. However, the government has not published names of those who are subject to the ban.

Five engineers on the list of reentry ban
　　　　　I have recently obtained a list of 22 people who are barred from reentering Japan after visiting North Korea. They include five nuclear and missile engineers. Japanese media have not reported their names. But as the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals (JINF) exposed three of the five (first to third people below) in a policy proposal in May 2009 (https://en.jinf.jp/suggestion/archives/220), I would like to name the five people below altogether:
　　　　　The five are (1) So Sok Hong, (2) So Pan Do, (3) Ha Chol Ho, (4) Li Yong Tok and (5) Yang Tok Cha. The first and second are engine experts who had worked at the University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science. They are said to have founded Kumgang Motor Joint Venture Company in North Korea to develop missile engines, the first having served as president of the company and the second as vice president. The third person majored in nuclear energy at Kyoto University and now serves as associate professor at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute. Their involvement means advanced technologies developed with taxpayers’ money at national universities in Japan have been used for nuclear missile development in North Korea.

Penalize taking out dual-use technologies
　　　　　The five belong to the Korean Association of Science and Technology in Japan, which takes out massive advanced technologies contributing to North Korean military under the slogan that scientists have their fatherland while science has no national borders.
　　　　　In the abovementioned policy proposal responding to North Korea’s second nuclear test, JINF said: “Japan should invoke all-out sanctions to stop the flow of goods, money and people to North Korea. Particularly, the government should prohibit all Koreans in Japan from visiting North Korea in principle to stop any technology outflow from Japan to North Korea.”
　　　　　Engineers other than the five can still freely move between North Korea and Japan. To stop such moves, all North Korean residents in Japan should be barred from reentering Japan after visiting North Korea. As taking out nuclear and missile technologies to hostile countries such as North Korea is not illegal under the current Japanese laws, the five cannot be arrested because of it. A new legal framework should be developed so as to penalize such act as early as possible.

Tsutomu Nishioka is Planning Committee Member, Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, and Professor at Tokyo Christian University.