Schools On High Alert As Protesters In Japan Stage Rally Against Nuclear Tests In North Korea

Following a nuclear video advisory over a hydrogen bomb released by North Korea on Wednesday, protestors staged a rally the following day in front of the Chongryon's office in Japan. Schools also expressed their concerns about harassment and threats experienced in the past.

A 40-year-old man in Saitama Prefecture and parent to a Korean school student told Kyodo News, "Every time any problem has happened, we have patrolled the trains taking many students to and from school. I am concerned this time as well."

Japan Today reported that the protests drew close to 50 people who displayed banners calling upon Pyongyang to relinquish nuclear weapons. Among those involved in the protests include pro-Seoul Korean Residents Union in Japan, or Mindan.

According to past reports by the Japan Today, Japan is particularly sensitive when it comes to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests. However, Asian Review reported that South Korea's government seems in no hurry to tighten security cooperation.

There have been allegations that students at pro-Pyongyang Korean schools in Japan have been harassed and threatened. In the 1970s and 1980s, North Koreans were harassed after its government confirmed that it had abducted Japanese nationals.

As a result, parents have advised their children to be alert and report any cases of harassment or threats.

"My father told me to be careful of possible harassment," said a male student in his third year of junior high school.

Other schools such as the Tokyo Korean Junior and Senior High School in Kita Ward are still closed for the winter although some students are already attending club activities.

Japan released a statement on Thursday that it had not detected any changes in radiation within its territories. The government assigned Japan Air Force planes to collect air samples on Wednesday.

"Also, some 300 posts put in place to monitor the situation across the country registered no change in radiation levels between Wednesday and Thursday," Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said.

Meanwhile, authorities are still monitoring the situation to ensure that radiation levels within the vicinity are not hazardous. Reports also confirm that Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung Se are working together with China and the United States to monitor the tests.