Taiwan, September 15: Taiwan’s foreign ministry called Tuesday for the return of a local sailor held in Japan on accusations of illegal fishing in disputed waters in the East China sea.
“Skipper Wang Wei-hsi is in Japan to assist in the investigation of the incident, and we hope he will return to Taiwan soon,” foreign ministry spokesman James Chang told AFP.
After Japan detained the skipper on Sunday, Taiwan sent five coastguard vessels to the area, while Japan dispatched an equal number of ships, according to the Taiwan side.
The incident began when Formosa Chieftain No 2, a 49-tonne sports fishing boat, was accosted by Japanese maritime vessels over allegations of illegal fishing, according to Taiwan’s coastguard.
The 44-year-old skipper declined the Japanese officials’ request to board his vessel, arguing that he was operating in Taiwanese waters.
The Japan Coastguard said it arrested Wang on suspicion of violating the nation’s fishing law by being within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
His boat and one crew member were also held on Japan’s Ishigaki island while nine fishing tourists onboard were returned to Taiwan, the local coastguard said.
Taipei and Tokyo have held 14 rounds of negotiations over territorial fishing disputes since 1996. They have yet to reach an agreement.
Chang, the Taiwanese foreign ministry spokesman, said the incident would not affect ties with Japan.
The East China Sea has been the scene of several disputes between China, Japan and Taiwan, which all claim a chain of islets, known as Senkaku in Japanese and as Diaoyu in Chinese.
—Agencies