(Adnkronos) – A Chinese fishing boat has been seized by Japanese authorities. The captain has been arrested. The accusation is that he failed to comply with an order to stop while the vessel was within Japan’s exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki Prefecture, the Japanese agency Kyodo reports, noting that this is the first such incident since 2022.
All this takes place in the context of tensions in diplomatic relations between Beijing and Tokyo, already marked by long-standing territorial disputes. The latest escalation was triggered by statements made late last year by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, considered a hawk, who intervened on the Taiwan issue with words that angered the Dragon, which wants “reunification” for the island.
According to Kyodo, the captain of the fishing boat, a Chinese national, was arrested and accused of attempting to avoid an onboard inspection by a Japanese officer approximately 170 kilometers southwest of Meshima Island. Japanese authorities announced that there were 11 crew members on board the vessel. For the Tokyo government, spokesperson Minoru Kihara assured “resolute” actions to prevent and deter “illegal” operations by foreign fishing boats.
