The controversial North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92 docked at Niigata port's central pier at 1:15 p.m. Thursday amid tight security by the Japan Coast Guard and Niigata Prefectural Police.
Repeating scenes from the Mangyongbong's previous port call Aug. 25, Japanese authorities launched a thorough inspection of the 9,672-ton ferry shortly after it arrived -- again to a mixture of protests and cheers.
Port State Control inspections by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry confirmed that the four minor safety infractions found during the ship's last visit have been rectified. Thus, the vessel is free to leave as scheduled on Friday.