Japan Seizes Chinese Fishing Boat; Move Likely to Add to Tensions

The seizure of the trawler, which Japan said was sailing in its waters in the East China Sea, is likely to add to tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.

The Japanese authorities said on Friday that they had seized a Chinese fishing boat sailing in waters off the coast of Nagasaki and detained its captain, adding to rising tensions between the two countries.

The Japanese fisheries agency said in a statement that officials had ordered the Chinese vessel, a trawler equipped with nets, to stop for an inspection around noon on Thursday after discovering it had entered Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea. The vessel “refused to comply and fled,” according to the agency. The authorities then seized the boat, which had a crew of 11 including the 47-year-old captain, who was detained.

The episode, which took place off the coast of Nagasaki, near Japan’s Goto Islands, was the first time since 2022 that Japan had seized a Chinese fishing boat.

It seemed likely to further damage relations between Japan and China, which have sharply deteriorated in recent months.

In November, Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, told the Japanese Parliament that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could incite a military response from Tokyo. China, which considers Taiwan, a self-governed democracy, part of its territory, responded by unleashing a wave of political and economic reprisals against Japan. China also discouraged its citizens from traveling to Japan — a serious blow to Tokyo, given that the Chinese represent more than a fifth of tourists to Japan.

The Chinese retributions have started to hurt Japan’s economy, and Ms. Takaichi had seemed eager to avoid a major escalation, despite her reputation as a China hawk. She won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections on Sunday, an outcome that has alarmed Chinese officials and commentators.

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The boat seized on Thursday, called the Qiong Dong Yu 11998, is being treated as evidence and will be moved to the port of Nagasaki, the Japanese authorities said. Immigration officials will determine the fate of the vessel’s 10 crew members, the authorities said.

The East China Sea has often played host to disputes between China and Japan. In 2010, a diplomatic showdown erupted when Japan arrested the captain of a Chinese trawler. The boat had collided with Japanese patrol vessels near uninhabited islands therein the East China Sea.

Japan had insisted that the captain would be prosecuted, but it eventually relented in the face of pressure from China. His release handed a significant victory to Chinese leaders, who had ratcheted up pressure on Japan with verbal threats and economic sanctions.

Hisako Ueno contributed reporting from Tokyo, and Pei-Lin Wu from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

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