The charge was made in a report by the Korean Central News Agency which was monitored in South Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported.

This week, Japan arrested a former official with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon, a group that promotes North Korean interests. In October, several offices of the group were raided in an investigation into financial irregularities.

Last year, a woman was arrested for allegedly shipping medical supplies to North Korea illegally.

Japan and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations. Recently, the Japanese government accused North Korea of failing to return all the Japanese nationals kidnapped in the 1970s and 1980s.