The man believed to be Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, has been found to have entered the country more times than initially suspected, sources close to the case said Monday.
He last illegally entered Japan in May, and entry stamps in the forged Dominican passport he used show that he had visited Japan three times between October and December 2000.
But the new findings show he had also visited Japan last January and February, the sources said.
Japanese immigration authorities detained the 29-year-old man on May 1 at Narita airport on suspicion of attempted illegal entry into the country. He was later deported to China along with two women and a young boy who accompanied him.
Although he told authorities he came to Japan to visit Tokyo Disneyland, it is believed he actually planned to engage in clandestine activities such as illegal arms deals, the sources said.
According to the sources, the man visited a restaurant in Tokyo in early January and showed up at another restaurant in February; several witnesses saw him at both establishments.
Investigative authorities had trouble verifying the man's January and February visits because he used a false passport carrying a Western name, different from the one he used in May under the name Pang Xiong, the sources said.
There was no indication he returned to North Korea after he was deported to Beijing. It is highly likely that he operates out of Beijing, Moscow, Hong Kong and Macau, the sources said.