Four North Koreans rescued last week off Shimane Prefecture were handed over to North Korean authorities in Dalian, China, on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said.
The four men, who said they wanted to return to North Korea, left Japan from Fukuoka Airport, according to the ministry and the Japan Coast Guard.
A coast guard plane spotted their vessel Dec. 11 in the Sea of Japan about 140 km northeast of the Oki Islands in Shimane Prefecture.