OSAKA -- A Japanese NGO official who was detained in China last week returned to Japan on Wednesday after being expelled by Beijing.
Hiroshi Kato, 57, a leader of the Tokyo-based nongovernmental organization Life Funds for North Korean Refugees, arrived at Kansai International Airport at around 11:30 a.m.
Kato told reporters that he did not plan to meet North Korean people during his latest trip to China but was detained by Chinese authorities and accused of playing a key role in an incident March 14 in which North Korean refugees entered the Spanish diplomatic compound in Beijing. He said he denied the accusation.