Spike in postal remittances to North Korea scrutinized

Japan has seen a sharp increase in the number of postal remittances to North Korea in recent years, an opposition lawmaker said Thursday.

Citing Japan Post documents, Shu Watanabe, a House of Representatives member from the Democratic Party of Japan, told a Lower House panel the number of remittances to the North was 1,560 in fiscal 2004, compared with 383 in fiscal 2002 and 506 in fiscal 2003.

Japan Post Executive Vice President Katsuyuki Okada, responding to a question in a session of the Internal Affairs and Communications, said the public corporation will look into specifics, including the total amount of money sent from Japan to North Korea.

Anyone can send remittances to that country under the Universal Postal Union treaty.

Japan Post will look at the details of the money going to North Korea as it has the remittance receipts on file showing the amounts sent, Okada said.

Officials of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said the maximum amount allowed per remittance to North Korea is about 480,000 yen.

Senior Vice Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshihide Suga told the committee session he had not known money could be sent by mail to North Korea.