"Rodney Webster" <rgw_news001@knot.mine.nu> wrote in message

> What on earth do you base this idea that the Japanese were willing spies
> on?

Willing ? I've said that where ? I don't think anyone is "willing" in a
totalitarist system like North-Korea's. If you had been such an hostage,
you'd have chosen to die or to collaborate ?

> The Japanese are said to have worked for the North Korean secret
> service,

That's being a spy.
There was a time when Western countries kept a list in order to check any
person that visited a communist country, even as a tourist for a few days.
So in comparison, ex-employees of a commie secret service...

How and how much the ex-hostages were forced or not is not the question. The
details about what they did exactly have certainly been discussed with
Japanese officials, and it's unlikely the media will be given the
infornation and be allowed to tell it before many years.
The ex-hostages have arranged with Japanese government, they have the right
to keep their secrets. I think that's already great they admitted publicly
having been employed by spying services.

>and certainly nobody has even hinted at anything as ludicrous
> as your suggestion that they travelled to Japan during the period that
> they were missing.

The activities and apparent organisation of North-Korean spies is largely
discussed. You're free to make the link or not.

It's certainly not like in Shuri where the spy disguises herself to visit
relatives.

CC