The wife of one of nine Japanese fugitives wanted in the hijacking of a Japan Airlines jetliner to North Korea in 1970 returned from the North on Tuesday night and was immediately arrested by police.

Tamiko Uomoto, 51, wife of Kimihiro Uomoto, 55, was placed under arrest by the Metropolitan Police Department upon her arrival at Narita airport from Pyongyang via Beijing. She was charged with violating passport laws.

Uomoto is the third wife of the hijackers to return to Japan. She has been on an international wanted list for allegedly not obeying a Japanese government order in 1988 to surrender her passport after she was found to have had contact with North Korean agents in Europe.

The first wife to return to Japan was Emiko Akagi, who was married to Shiro Akagi. She came back in September 2001 and was given a suspended prison sentence for refusing to surrender her passport.

The second was Takako Konishi, wife of Takahiro Konishi. She returned to Japan in September 2002. A court later gave her a suspended prison sentence on a similar charge.

Uomoto left Japan in October 1976. She married Kimihiro after they met in Europe, and they moved to North Korea.