Japan is studying measures to respond to a potential refugee surge if North Korea undergoes a cataclysmic change as a result of dictator Kim Jong Il's death last week, sources said.
The central government will consult prefectures along the Sea of Japan, such as Niigata, Ishikawa and Fukuoka, about helping refugees if the Stalinist country falters during the power transition, the sources said Saturday.
Tokyo is also preparing to cooperate closely with Washington and call on the U.S. military for help rescuing Japanese living in South Korea if tensions on the Korean Peninsula reach the breaking point, the sources said. As of October 2009, there were about 28,320 Japanese residing there. (Japan Times)
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