Amid tense Sino-Japanese relations, Japan’s Fisheries Agency stated on the 13th that a Chinese fishing vessel had been detained and its captain arrested, marking the first time since 2022 that the Fisheries Agency has detained a Chinese fishing boat.
According to Kyodo News, the vessel was suspected of ignoring stop orders within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture and was subsequently detained. The captain was arrested on the 12th, accused of attempting to evade inspection by Japanese law enforcement officers boarding the vessel.
The Kyushu office of the Fisheries Agency stated that there were a total of 11 crew members on the vessel.
The Fisheries Agency is responsible for onboard inspections and clamping down on illegal fishing activities in waters around Japan. This Chinese fishing vessel is the first foreign fishing vessel detained by the Fisheries Agency this year.