bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Japan on Sunday released the captain and crew of a Chinese boat who had been detained on suspicion of illegal fishing, Chinese state media reported amid a festering territorial row between the neighbours.
The 100-tonne coral fishing boat with a crew of 13 was stopped on Saturday by a Japanese coastguard patrol in waters some 45 kilometres northeast of Miyako island in the southern Okinawan chain.
The skipper and all his crew were released after the Chinese consulate general in Fukuoka submitted a bail guarantee, Xinhua news agency said, quoting the consulate general.
The fishing boat and all its crew departed Miyako for China late on Sunday, it said.
The Japan Coast Guard said on Saturday that the captain had been arrested on suspicion of fishing in the exclusive maritime zone without permission from Japan.
The incident occurred amid a simmering dispute over the Tokyo-administered Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyus.
Miyako is about 210 kilometres off the biggest Senkaku isle.
The arrest was made on the same day that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe toured the southern region of Okinawa near the disputed islands in the East China Sea, where he vowed to defend Japan against “provocations”.
Abe’s comments came in the same week that his government approved a rise in defence spending for the first time in over a decade, explicitly aimed at beefing up defence of the contested island chain.
Chinese government ships have routinely circled the islands since September, when Tokyo nationalised some of them.
Chinese planes have also sporadically breached the airspace over them, stoking the long-running sovereignty row.
It was the first time that the captain of a Chinese fishing boat was detained in waters in the Okinawa region since September 2010 when Japan arrested a Chinese trawler captain after he rammed his vessel against two coastguard patrol boats in waters around the disputed islands, Kyodo news agency said.
The arrest sparked off a fierce diplomatic protest from Beijing and Tokyo released the captain weeks later without prosecuting him.


The rattle of Okinawa: Chinese drones probe Japan’s defences

Japan’s NHK AI gaffe reignites Diaoyu Islands dispute amid Chinese coastguard intrusion

‘Salami-slicing’ at sea? Chinese buoys test Japan’s patience

Japan weighs trust in Trump as US says defence of Diaoyu Islands rock solid

Diaoyu Islands

Japan releases Chinese crew amid territorial dispute

A Japan Coast Guard vessel (right) chases a Chinese fishing boat near Miyako island in Okinawa prefecture, in the East China Sea on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Japan arrests Chinese fishing boat captain amid Diaoyu Island row

Japan arrests Chinese fishing boat captain amid Diaoyu Islands dispute. Photo: AP

News

China

Japan on Sunday released the crew of a Chinese boat who had been detained on suspicion of illegal fishing, amid a festering territorial row between the neighbours.
