Chinese authorities in Jilin Province have detained a 64-year-old Japanese woman who fled North Korea last November only to be held by extortionists involved in the escape of North Korean refugees.
Japan has asked the Chinese government to hand the woman over to Japanese authorities, sources close to the matter said Friday.
The woman, who went to North Korea in 1959 with her North Korean husband, sought protection from the Japanese government after she fled to China at the end of November.
Before she was detained by Jilin security authorities on Wednesday, it was believed the woman was being held by people who have demanded a large sum of money from the Japanese government in return for her freedom.