Forensic scientists and police detective are attempt to unravel the enigma of a “ wraith ship ” filled with systema skeletale that washed up on the coast of Japan this weekend .
The boat was found late on Sunday on the shores of Oga , Akita Prefecture , on Japan ’s west coast ( TV below ) . Nipponese broadcasterNHKreports that the 7 - metre - long ( 23 - foot - long ) sauceboat contains the decomposing bodies of eight people . The watercraft also has an eight - finger’s breadth number paint on the side , a upset rotor blade , and no signs of fishing equipment .
One of the big challenges facing government agency is the identification of the bodies . The body are partially skeletonized , so much so it ’s not possible to discern the age or gender of the crew . The partial skeletonization of the physical structure indicate the bodies are in the third offive level of chemical decomposition reaction , calledactive radioactive decay . This is the level where much of the body ’s tissue are lost through liquefaction by microorganisms and maggots , resulting in bones becoming exposed . This usually indicate the body has been deadened for a few weeks . Depending on the conditions , it takes several months or years for a human body to completely skeletonize . However , considering this boat has been out in the stale and distant sea , the normal “ rules ” do n’t necessarily apply .
Although much of the story still remains a whodunit , they highly distrust that the ship is from North Korea . Firstly , the Nipponese coastguard do not know of any miss Nipponese vessels . Ota , where the gravy holder washed ashore , is also directly eastward of the coast of North Korea . Onboard the ship , they also found a packet of cigarettes that are believed to have been produced in North Korea .
This boat wash ashore comes just daysafter another North Korean shipwashed ashore . Last Friday , eight live North Korean sailors washed ashore in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita . Over the weekend , two more bodies were found washed ashore on a beach just 70 kilometers ( 44 mile ) southwards . Once again , they are suspected of being from North Korea . In 2014 , at least 65 “ specter ships ” washed up in Japan , and the year before there were 80 reports , consort to theJapan Times
Some believe these “ ghost ship ” are the termination of North Koreans fleeing the notoriously repressive regulation of Kim Jong - Un . every bit , commentators have noted that the authorities is pushing fisherman to produce greater measure of food and forcing them to venture into more unreliable ocean to help deal with the country ’s inveterate food shortages .
“ During the summertime , the Sea of Japan is quite unagitated , " Yoshihiko Yamada , prof at Japan ’s Tokai University , toldReuters . “But it start to get choppy when November arrive . It find dangerous when northwesterly winds start to bobble . "
