TOKYO, Japan -- A man attempted to sever his own arm with an axe to protest North Korea while standing in front of the headquarters of Koreans in Japan affiliated with the Communist state.

      The man was identified in Jiji Press, quoting police, as Koichi Nishikawa, 55, a former member of a right-wing organization.   Nishikawa was carrying a letter of protest addressed to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has had rocky relations with the leadership of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a.k.a. North Korea.

      "Please save the abducted Japanese citizens as soon as possible," Nishikawa wrote in the letter, according to Jiji, referring to the DPRK's admitted abductions of Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s in order train its spies.   The DPRK returned five abductees and their families to Japan in 2002 and claims that others have died.   Some Japanese, including family members of these individuals, have disputed those claims.  For his part, Abe refuses to fund a nuclear disarmament deal with the DPRK until the issue is settled.

         Tokyo police arrested Nishikawa after he wounded his left arm, according to news reports.   The police did not comment, but the General Association of Koreans in Japan, a.k.a. Chongryon, which represents Koreans in Japan who claim DPRK citizenship, confirmed that the incident occurred.

         "This incident was an extremely vicious terrorist attack against Chongryon and Korean residents in Japan," the group said in a statement.    "The background of this incident is the fact that Japan considers our country to be an enemy, making Chongryon and Korean residents the target of sanctions and including xenophobia and segregation."

         The Abe regime imposed stringent sanctions upon the DPRK after it tested a nuclear weapon in October.   In addition, Abe has repeatedly refused to issue a thorough-going apology for the Japanese military's sexual enslavement of Korean women and adolescent girls, known as "comfort women," during the 1930s and 1940s.  At that time, Korea was a Japanese colony.  

         Approximately 600,000 Koreans live in Japan.   The precise number of those who affiliate with the DPRK is disputed, but it is apparent that a majority is instead affiliated with the Republic of Korea (ROK), a.k.a. South Korea, an ally of Japan.   The Japanese government does not offer Japanese citizenship to Korean residents, even those who were born in Japan and whose families have been in the country for generations.   In recent months, Chongryon has complained of illegal police searches and other harassment, including the targeting of the association's elementary schools.         

      

 

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