North Korean fishermen washed up in Japan 'not defectors and want to return home'

Men deny trying to escape Kim Jong-un regime and merely suffered boat malfunction

A Japanese Coast Guard rescue team approaching a capsized North Korean boat on the Sea of Japan about 225 miles north west of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture (AFP/Getty)

Eight men found on Japan's northern coast are thought to be from North Korea and were apparently washed ashore after their boat broke down.

The fishermen want to return home and Japanese investigators believe the men are not defectors.

Akita prefectural police said on Friday they found the men late on Thursday after receiving a call about suspicious men standing around at the seaside in Yurihonjo town.

Police also found a wooden boat reportedly carrying squid at a nearby marina.

Police said the Korean-speaking men were in good health and identified themselves as North Koreans who were fishing before the boat broke down and washed ashore.

Wreckage believed to be from North Korean boats regularly washes ashore in northern Japan during winter due to seasonal winds.

AP