[This is quite weird. Why? It does not explain why they are dead. Jan]

Here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYzunl3zpbE&feature=emb_logo

A small number of wooden boats containing unidentified deceased sailors, assumed to be North Korean fishermen, have often been found washed up on the shores of Oga, a city in Akita Prefecture which juts out into the sea.

This year, however, has seen a dramatic rise in the number of dead bodies found aboard wooden boats washed up on the shores of Japan. According to the Japanese Coast Guard, 35 corpses have washed up since December 28, with 103 wooden boats drifting onto Japanese shores or discovered in its territorial waters. Thirteen of the dead bodies have remained unidentified.

On November 26, eight corpses, some of which were partly skeletal, were discovered on a wooden boat in Oga, with two more skeletal remains found washed ashore on December 7, when temperatures remained below freezing. North Korean fisherman have also been found alive aboard their vessels.

Oga’s authorities have requested that the Tosenji temple temporarily accept the remains of the unidentified dead sailors, whose ashes have been kept in urns, alongside some DNA samples, in case North Korea or family members ever need to identify the deceased.