Photo/Illutration A bearing marked with “JAPAN” is found on debris from a North Korean short-range ballistic missile in Ukraine’s Kharkiv province. The photo was taken in Kyiv in March. (Tadashi Sugiyama)

KYIV--A North Korean missile fired by Russia into Ukraine contained a hodgepodge of parts apparently made to resemble components produced in Japan and European countries.

One item mimicked a part produced by a leading Japanese manufacturer, The Asahi Shimbun has learned.

The missile also contained parts that imitated European products, experts　said. The missile debris was retrieved in the northeastern province of Kharkiv in January, 

The Ukrainian government analyzed around 290 parts, believed to be from the KN-24 or KN-23 short-range ballistic missile produced by North Korea, with Conflict Armament Research, a British investigative organization.

In March, an Asahi Shimbun reporter was granted access to the missile debris stored in Kyiv by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.

A bearing used to support moving parts and reduce friction was found embedded on the side of the missile and stamped with the word “JAPAN” in letters of the Roman alphabet.

The name of the supposed Japanese manufacturer and model number were also inscribed.

The manufacturer said it analyzed a photo of the bearing sent by The Asahi Shimbun and concluded the part is counterfeit.

“It is engraved with marks that differ from the genuine part,” a company representative said.

Conflict Armament Research said the missile contained parts that came from 26 companies in eight countries and regions. More than 90 percent of the companies were in the United States, Europe and Japan, it added.

But the group said it confirmed, after contacting the companies concerned, that multiple components were counterfeits of parts produced by European-based makers.

U.N. Security Council sanctions prohibit member countries from exporting equipment and materials that can be used in missiles to North Korea.

Tokyo also bans such exports under separate sanctions it imposed against Pyongyang.

Katsuhisa Furukawa, who sat on a U.N. expert panel that monitored North Korea’s compliance with the world body’s sanctions, said Pyongyang is relying on foreign-made parts for its missiles.

He said North Korea has been found trying to procure missile-related equipment and materials from overseas dealers via its bases in China and Russia.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine said Russia launched at least 50 North Korean missiles over a roughly two-month period from the end of last year.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said the missiles were not reliable, noting that only about 20 percent landed near their intended targets and about 50 percent exploded in mid-air.

Furukawa said the use of counterfeit components could explain the poor accuracy in performance.

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