North Korea has hurled another curveball at Japan by demanding the return of human remains that DNA tests in this country proved not to be of abductee Megumi Yokota, as claimed by Pyongyang.

Officials said they are considering handing over copies of the testing to North Korea, adding that they did not understand North Korea's intentions.

DNA testing found that the remains could not have been those of Megumi, who was abducted at age 13 by North Korean agents in 1977 when she was still in junior high school. Scientists said the ashes were of two other people.

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura indicated Sunday that his ministry would seek a fuller explanation from Pyongyang.

``If they continue to act without sincerity, we will have to consider more serious action,'' Machimura said. The government froze 125,000 tons in promised food assistance after concluding Pyongyang had tried to deceive Japan with faked remains.

Machimura said the government would seek a quick response from North Korea, but probably would not set a deadline for Pyongyang to present a fuller explanation of why it handed over remains of other people.

On Thursday, the North Korean government released a statement to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing that said in part: ``We cannot accept or recognize the results of the tests conducted by Japan. We hope that efforts are made to find out the truth.''

In a statement two days earlier, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman called the test results ``a fraud.''

``It is difficult to imagine that the husband (of Megumi) would hand over to Japan the remains of someone who was not his wife,'' the official said.

That comment was interpreted by some in Japan as an indication that North Korea was trying to distance the government from any involvement in the presentation of faked remains.

Foreign Ministry sources said Pyongyang's request for the remains to be returned may indicate that it wants to determine whether Megumi's husband had hoodwinked officials by carrying out tests itself.(IHT/Asahi: December 20,2004)