Japan searches for shipwrecked Chinese fishermen

The Japan coast guard rescues a crew member from a Chinese fishing boat that sunk following a collision with a Greek cargo vessel in the Senkaku islands yesterday. The islands are disputed with China, Taiwan and Japan all claiming ownership. Kimimasa Mayama / EPAShow less

Tokyo // Eight Chinese crew members were missing after their fishing boat collided with a Greek cargo vessel and sank near disputed East China Sea islands on Thursday.

The Japanese coast guard sent a patrol boat and plane to the site after receiving a signal from the cargo ship and rescued the six other members of the vessel’s crew.

“We’ve put priority on the search and rescue of the missing eight. We have not been able to determine the cause of the collision,” a coast guard spokeswoman said.

China expressed its appreciation for the rescue efforts, the Japanese foreign ministry said.

The accident came after foreign minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday called in Cheng Yonghua, Beijing’s envoy to Tokyo, following what Tokyo called “intrusions” by Chinese ships near the disputed islands for five consecutive days.

“The situation surrounding the Japan-China relationship is markedly deteriorating,” he told Mr Cheng.

The two countries are locked in a long-running dispute over the uninhabited islets known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

The Japanese coast guard on Monday spotted 15 Chinese coast guard ships near the islands – the highest number seen in the area.

About 230 Chinese fishing vessels and seven coast guard ships, including four apparently carrying weapons, sailed into waters close to the disputed islands on Sunday.

Bilateral relations had improved over the past two years, but tensions over the islands have been a frequent irritant between the countries.

*Agence France-Presse