KASHIWAZAKI, Japan (TV ASAHI/CNN) - Japan has detected a record 95 suspected North Korean "ghost ships" in 2017.
Japanese Coast Guard officials said the number of the drifting ships increased to 95 this week. The official number last week was 83.
The Coast Guard has found a total of 25 bodies in the boats and at least 42 North Korean crew members have been rescued alive this year.
The Sea of Japan, known as the East Sea, is very rough and the winter conditions might contribute to more shipwrecks, Japanese officials said.
The noted that October was a particularly rough month in the Sea of Japan, and that may have contributed to the increased number of ships washing up on Japan's beaches.
Copyright 2017 TV ASAHI via CNN. All rights reserved.
