North Korea demands Japan pay $83M for war dead remains

TOKYO, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- North Korea demanded $83 million from Tokyo in exchange for the remains of Japan's war dead.

Pyongyang's push for fees related to excavating and identifying alleged Japanese war casualties in the North was one of the clauses discussed in informal negotiations on the abduction issue, the Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday.

North Korea had told Japan the funds are needed to excavate the remains of nearly 8,000 Japanese and for an extensive "cemetery survey." The excavation would cost nearly $10,000 per individual, according to Pyongyang.

Japan, however, is likely to turn down North Korea's request, having refused to comply with similar demands in the past, Yonhap reported.

North Korea suspended formal negotiations on the abductions of Japanese nationals and in April filed a protest with Japan and blamed Tokyo for bringing what it said is a bilateral issue to the United Nations.

Japan has refused to believe North Korea's claims that it cannot locate the whereabouts of some of the abductees on Tokyo's list, and negotiations have veered off course after some progress was made until 2014, when Pyongyang reneged on its promise to provide a preliminary report on the abductees.

In 2002, former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il had said of the 17 Japanese abductees officially recognized by Tokyo, five are alive in North Korea, eight have died and the remaining four were never taken to North Korea, South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh reported. On Wednesday, Japan press reported 12 abductees are officially recognized by Tokyo, but Pyongyang has said none are alive, eight have died and four never entered the country.

An unidentified Japanese official told the Asahi that Tokyo couldn't accept the North's claims that there have been "no results" in their investigations into the abductees.