Japan releases captain of Chinese fishing vessel

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japanese authorities released the detained captain of a Chinese fishing boat who was arrested earlier this week, media reported Saturday.

The captain was released late Friday after China submitted documentation guaranteeing payment of a deposit, according to NHK.

The Japan Fisheries Agency said it seized the vessel Thursday and detained the captain for allegedly defying an order to stop while within Japan's exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki province.

It was the first time a Japanese agency seized a Chinese fishing boat in waters off southwestern Japan since 2022.

The agency’s regional office said the vessel had a crew of 11 and was described as a “tiger net fishing boat,” typically used to catch fish such as mackerel and horse mackerel. No information was released on the fate of the remaining crew.

Beijing said it hopes Tokyo “will uphold the China-Japan fisheries agreement, enforce the law fairly, and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of the people concerned.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China “always” urges its fishermen to operate “in accordance with laws and regulations, and Beijing will firmly safeguard its “lawful rights and interests.”

Relations between China and Japan have been strained since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, possibly enabling the exercise of collective self-defense.

Beijing strongly criticized the comments and advised Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan, as it reinstated a ban on Japanese seafood imports.