TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Japanese authorities have seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its captain for allegedly fleeing inspection in its exclusive economic zone, an incident that could further inflame tensions between Asia’s top two economies.
The captain, a 47-year-old Chinese national, is accused of ignoring orders to stop for an on-board inspection on Thursday in waters off southwest Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan’s fisheries agency said.
There were a further 10 people on board at the time, the agency said.
While Japan has seized fishing vessels from South Korea and Taiwan in recent years, the incident is the first involving a vessel from China since 2022 and comes against the backdrop of a major diplomatic dispute between the countries.
“We will continue to take resolute action in our enforcement activities to prevent and deter illegal fishing operations by foreign vessels,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a regular press conference on Friday.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura, John Geddie and Anton Bridge in Tokyo and Joe Cash in Beijing; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Saad Sayeed)
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