Tokyo pressed Seoul in 1978 to accept resident South Korean convicts in Japan by threatening to send them to North Korea unless the demand was met, according to diplomatic documents declassified Thursday.
Seoul had dismissed the request on humanitarian grounds and Japan stepped up pressure on South Korea to allow the convicts entry, saying some would be sent to the North if they wanted, the documents showed.
In the late 1970s, Japan categorized South Koreans with permanent residency who committed crimes and were sentenced to seven years or longer in prison as people to be expelled. At that time, Japan granted permanent residency to first- and second-generation South Korean residents in Japan.