Japan’s elite government worker is found dead in the open sea
Was he a spy who got into trouble with the Korean intelligence agency? Or was it a crime of passion?
On January 18th, 2014 at 9:45 a.m, Japan’s Coast Guard patrol spotted an inflatable boat with a person inside, drifting away in Tsushima Strait. The high waves of winter sea proved to be a barrier impossible to overcome. It wasn’t until January 20th the rescuers were able to retrieve the now overturned boat and — soon — a body.
The autopsy showed he had died a week or two before he was found. The case of due to death was ruled to be hypothermia or death by drowning. No external injuries. He didn’t carry an ID, only 25 0000 won and a credit card, which lead to his identification.
What could make a man so desperate he would dare to cross a sea in the middle of winter? It alone begs a question. But it gets more interesting. Why would an elite government official try to come back to his country unnoticed?
The man
In Japan, education is the key to making it in society. It affects everything — from your future job position to your dating prospects. Just getting into one of the famous universities, called meimon (名門), grants you respect and admiration. You are on the winning team.
Our unknown man — let’s call him Z — was very much the member of this elite, the crème de la crop. At thirty years old he was already an accomplished man, having graduated from Japan’s top educational institution, Tokyo University in 2004 and managing to land a job at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in 2010. As per ERSI’s official website, the institute is “the Cabinet Office’s think tank”. This makes him a government-employed worker, the most coveted job in the 2010’s Japan.
In 2013 Z continued his education, starting a Ph.D. program at Minnesota University, focusing on macroeconomics. His move overseas shows his high standing in the organization and how much valued he was — only the best were granted this opportunity.
In January 2014 he was granted a quick break from America, as he signed up for the 2nd Asia-Pacific Social Science Conference (APSSC) in Seoul, South Korea. It was supposed to be a short trip, with the conference taking place from January 8th to January 10th. Z never came back from this trip and more than likely never set a foot in the hotel in Gangnam (Renaissance Hotel) where the conference was held.
Z and his stay in Seoul
During his short stay in Seoul, Z managed to visit a few places. Here is a map, roughly sketching his whereabouts.
Z entered South Korea through Incheon International Airport on January 3rd. The same day he checked in at hotel A in Seoul’s neighborhood of Bukchang, under his real name. He has stayed there for a night. Z entrusted his bag (with passport inside) to hotel A’s staff before leaving to guesthouse B near Seoul Station on January 4th. The same day, at around 2 pm he received his belongings back from hotel A.
The next day, on January 5th, Z went shopping at a big shopping center near Seoul Station where he was spotted buying work gloves.
His next whereabouts come from Namdaemun vicinity, where he visited a small police station (파출소) with hotel A’s employee. Z came to report a missing passport cover.
The following day took him to a river adjacent Seongsu neighborhood. It’s there he bought the boat. According to the seller, Z knew precisely what model he wanted. It was a 2.3 meters (7 ft) long and 1.2 meters (3ft) wide boat, used primarily for fishing. It weighed 34 kg (75 lbs). The seller apparently didn’t have an adequately big engine, therefore Z bought only the boat. It cost him one million won (around 900 dollars); paid by cash. Curiously enough, Z hid the fact he was Japanese. Instead, he chose to communicate in English and introduced himself as a Hong-Kong citizen, Alex Po.
The day after making a purchase, he sent an email asking the shop to transfer the boat to Busan’s hotel D.
Z spent February 7th hanging out with his Korean friend. On the 8th, the last day in Seoul, he once again switched accommodation — this time to a hotel C in Namdaemun. The same day he bought an automobile battery and a battery used in lightening devices, as well as a snowsuit. After finishing his shopping he took a taxi and left Seoul for a hotel D in Busan, this time checking in under the same fake name. In Busan, he once again visited a shop, this time purchasing cables and a battery.
To make the situation even more complicated, on February 10th, a man thought to be Z was spotted on camera in one of Seoul’s hotels. The hotel he had booked, under his real name, for seven days (February 4th to February 10th).
This is the last time anyone “saw” Z before he was found dead on the open sea.
A Spy?
Naturally, Z’s involvement with the Japanese government drove the Internet to one conclusion: he was a spy. It all clicked: using a fake name, switching accommodations and — finally — trying to get to Japan undetected.
In an interview with Livedoor, Public Security Intelligence Agency’s (Japan’s MI5 equivalent) former assistant chief of staff, Sugano Mitsuhiro shed a light on the Japanese’s intelligence agencies’ structure:
In case of Japanese intelligence agencies, such as Cabinet Inteligence and Research Office (CIRO), their structure is small and they do not have a lot of employees. Therefore they cooperate with various outside organizations to gather information. Judging by (Z’s) career it’s hard to say it was the case, but there were certainly instances of requesting employees of fringe organizations, and those staying overseas, to collect information.
In the same interview, an informant from CIRO added:
“The truth is there is a proof National Police Agency (NPA)’s Public Safety Department’s Foreign Affairs Second division did some investigating when body was first discovered. There is a high possibility a gag order was placed. That’s why Japan Coast Guard still haven’t transfered the body to local police.
He also mentioned that four spies from Korean National Intelligence Service entered Japan on January 16th.
An informant from South Korea chimed in as well :
Z was a commerial attaché, in other words, he could have been a spy gathering economy related information concerning foreign countries. Maybe he run into some trouble while gathering information. That’s why Japanese Goverment didn’t react and let Japan Coast Guard handle it. Police have done pretty much nothing. The other proof is that they didn’t ask Korean police for cooperation. Isn’t it weird they didn’t even reveal his name?
Japanese police’s proceedings are indeed quite suspicious. They waited until February 1st to announce the discovery of a body through mass media. The Korean police weren’t even informed about Z’s identity. They only found out after checking with the Namdaemun police post.
The identity of Z is a puzzle itself. At first, I was rather surprised because just a few seconds of Googling brought me a name. The author of the article I’ve read has even said the man is the only person who fits the profile. And yet just as quickly as I had found the article, I’ve discovered the suspected Z is well and alive, working at one of Tokyo’s universities. Just how many Japanese government officials studied at Minnesota University in 2014?
Japan’s official stance is that Z entered the country because of personal reasons: his troubles with women.
An informer from National Police Agency claimed that before getting married Z had a different girlfriend; the woman he married was his mistress whom he accidentally got pregnant. At some point, he rekindled with his old flame and his wife started being a nuisance Z wanted to get rid of.
He also shared that Korean Government at first thought Z was a Japanese spy, working on their territory, who tried to secretly escape from Korea. Japanese police denied it and supposedly shared their theory (about marriage troubles) with South Korea, but the Korean side remained skeptical.
However, the same explanation was given by a Japanese journalist, Kuroda Katsuhiro when appearing on South Korean TV station, JTBC:
(In Japan) they say it’s because of some kind of personal problems. To give you an example: women problem.
He also pointed out that as a government official, Z couldn’t easily enter Japan.
This is true. Z didn’t have a normal passport but an official one (公用旅券). Japanese official passports are only given to those representing the country’s public business — therefore almost exclusive to members of parliament and those employed at public institutions. This kind of passport is necessary for Governments’ employees to work (or study) in foreign countries. However, it comes with a disadvantage: you cannot move freely. For Z to come back to Japan, even temporarily, he would have to receive a permit from the Japanese government.
An informer from already mentioned Livedoor interview suggested Z may have wanted to use the official passport as his alibi:
(…) he came to Korea under a pretense of attending conference and tried to enter Japan in secrecy. He may have thought a person who can’t be in Japan, won’t be suspected.
Officially both sides negate the possibility of Z being a spy.
Korean insiders claim he was too sloppy to be a spy. Korean journalist Cho Minjung even said the chance of it was not bigger than 0.01%. Japanese authorities stressed he was a guy doing numbers; he worked at an economic institute. He wasn’t a “spy material”.
From Busan to the Japanese coast
There is no information about the date Z left South Korea. Neither about his place of departure. But we might know a little about his route. According to Asahi newspaper, it’s very plausible Z went by a smuggler’s boat. In Busan, there are individuals who work as smugglers, transporting people to an area near Northern Kyūshū. From there on, there are expected to use their own boats.
Another source claims Z used a smuggler’s boat to get to Tsushima Island and from there on he tried to cross to the Kyūshū.
Investigation
The main newspapers in Japan stopped reporting on this case after February 2014. The Korean side remains just a smidge less scarce.
It is no wonder. There is nothing new to report.
Japanese police have never officially investigated Z’s death. With no suspicions of foul play, it was treated as an accident, which could have been caused by Z’s unstable mental condition. On the other hand, South Korea had its hands tied since the deceased was a Japanese citizen who died on Japanese territory.
Conclusion
All official sources claim Z wasn’t a spy. But that begs a question: What was the reason that got him to try crossing the strait in the middle of winter?
Was Z really planning to cross undetected all the way to Japan, kill his wife and come back? Or was it due to a mental breakdown? The possibilities are endless in this unresolved case.
Sources:
https://www.hankookilbo.com/News/Read/201804291186656406 — an excellent write-up in Korean.
https://news.joins.com/article/13811754
https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/02/04/2014020400234.html
https://biz-journal.jp/2014/10/post_6269.html
https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20140206175900073
https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2014/02/06/naikakufu-syokuin-alex_n_4735184.html
