Man listed as likely abducted by North Korea found dead in Japan

YAMAGATA (TR) – A man who was considered abducted by North Korea has been confirmed dead in Japan, police said on Friday, reports TV Asahi (Sept. 7).

According to police, Takeshi Saito went missing after resigning from his company in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture in October, 1983 at age of 38.

In April of last year, the body of Saito, a native of Sakata City, Yamagata, was discovered at an unspecified location in Japan.

No details of the circumstances of the discovery were provided. However, he was not involved in a crime and his disappearance was not connected to North Korea, police said.

According to the National Police Agency, a total of 880 missing Japanese nationals are believed to have been abducted by North Korea.

The NPA web site includes the names, photographs and backgrounds of some of the missing persons.

Saito is the third such person to be located in Japan this year. Earlier this month, a man who went missing in 1974 was confirmed safe. In May, police revealed that another man from Chiba Prefecture was found safe.