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Vanessa Cai

Japan has released the captain of a Chinese fishing boat that Tokyo says tried to flee an inspection while in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Japan’s fisheries agency said the captain was released before 8pm on Friday after China submitted documents guaranteeing payment of bail, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday.
The agency said the boat, the Qiong Dong Yu, was seized inside Japan’s EEZ off its southwestern Nagasaki prefecture on Thursday. It was ordered to stop for an inspection “but the vessel failed to comply and fled”. The 47-year-old captain, Zheng Nianli, was arrested on the same day, the agency said.
In its response, Beijing urged Tokyo to protect its crew members’ rights.
“It is hoped the Japanese side will strictly abide by the China-Japan fisheries agreement, enforce the law impartially and ensure the safety as well as the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese crew members,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Friday.
Lin added that the Chinese consulate general in Fukuoka was assisting the Chinese crew members in their return.


According to NHK, the fisheries agency said the boat was capable of catching a large quantity of fish such as mackerel and horse mackerel. The agency had suspected the boat might have entered Japan’s EEZ to conduct illicit fishing.
The agency said no fish were found upon inspection, according to NHK.
The boat carried 11 crew members and was about 170km (106 miles) southwest of the island of Meshima, which is under the jurisdiction of the city of Goto. The location is not within a disputed area.
China and Japan define their EEZs as the waters extending 200 nautical miles (370km) off the coastline, but they disagree over how to draw their maritime boundary.
Japan maintains that the line should be based on the equidistant principle, or median line, between the countries’ coastlines. China argues for a boundary that reflects its extended continental shelf – a method that would push the line eastward and give it control of more undersea resources.
The incident on Thursday threatened to worsen ties strained since November by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that use of military force in the Taiwan Strait could be considered a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which might warrant the deployment of its armed forces.
Beijing has repeatedly protested against Takaichi’s comments, and has halted Japanese seafood imports, advised its citizens not to travel or study in Japan and cut cultural exchanges.
The most serious maritime confrontation between China and Japan over seized fishing boats occurred in 2010 when Japanese authorities detained the captain of a Chinese vessel for 17 days after the boat collided with two patrol ships from the Japan Coast Guard near the disputed Diaoyu Islands – known as the Senkakus in Japan – in the East China Sea.
The Chinese captain was held in Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, sparking a diplomatic crisis and violence against Japanese businesses and individuals in China. Japan later released the captain without pressing any charges against him.
The Diaoyus, comprising five uninhabited islets and three reefs, are under effective Japanese control.
According to media reports, since late last year, Japanese fishermen who routinely operate near the islands have been advised by officials to avoid the area, as Tokyo seeks to reduce the risk of diplomatic tensions with Beijing.


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Tokyo releases captain of Chinese fishing boat found in Japanese EEZ

A Japanese fisheries agency patrol vessel follows the Chinese fishing vessel Qiong Dong Yu in waters off Japan’s southwest Nagasaki prefecture on Thursday. Photo: Handout

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Japan’s Fisheries Agency says this photo taken on February 12 shows a patrol vessel, Hakuo Maru (left), and a Chinese fishing vessel sailing within Japan’s exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki prefecture. Photo: AFP

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Fishing boats leave port in Shishi, in China’s Fujian province, in August 2024. Photo: Kyodo

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The Liberal Democratic Party, led by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, has secured a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house of parliament after Sunday’s snap election. Photo: AFP

On April 28, 2025, Sanae Takaichi, then a member of Japan’s lower house, visits Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te in Taipei. Photo: Handout

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China

Diplomacy

Zheng Nianli freed after China files bail payment guarantees, broadcaster NHK reports


Zheng Nianli freed after China files bail payment guarantees, broadcaster NHK reports.


Tokyo releases captain of Chinese fishing boat found in Japanese EEZ

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Zheng Nianli freed after China files bail payment guarantees, broadcaster NHK reports

Zheng Nianli freed after China files bail payment guarantees, broadcaster NHK reports