Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Japan Official in North Korean ‘Leak’ Dead: Reports

A Japanese official being probed as the possible source of news reports claiming China had breached UN weapons embargoes on North Korea has been found dead, reports said Tuesday.

The official, 47, who worked at the foreign ministry’s unit in charge of collecting information on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, was found hanged at his home east of Tokyo last Wednesday, Japanese dailies the Yomiuri, Mainichi and other media reported.

A police spokesman told AFP the death was not thought to be suspicious, but refused to comment further.

Press reports said the official was a target in the ministry’s internal probe about the possible leak of highly sensitive information.

Earlier this month detailed reports based on Japanese intelligence appeared in local media about the export from China to North Korea of large vehicles capable of carrying and launching ballistic missiles.

The vehicles were likely those on display at the huge military display in April marking the centenary of the birth of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-Sung, said the Asahi Shimbun, which broke the story.

No comments:

Post a Comment