Japan should release a Taiwanese fishing boat as soon as possible if it cannot substantiate allegations that the boat was fishing illegally in Japanese territorial waters, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) deputy spokesman James Chang (章計平) said yesterday.
However, late last night, MOFA said boat captain Tseng Wang-chi (曾旺祈) and the owner of the ship, surnamed Lin (林), had been indicted by Japanese authorities, which set bail at ¥8 million (US$95,000).
The nation’s representative office in Japan has been in contact with Japanese authorities on the matter, while the foreign ministry’s officers stationed in Yokohama will go to Yokohama harbor to assist the nine crew members upon their arrival, Chang said.
The Hsin Teh Yi No. 186 was seized on Wednesday in waters Japan considers to be within its Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ). Japan’s coast guard ordered the boat’s captain to sail to Yokohama harbor, where it is expected to arrive today.
The Fishermen’s Association in Suao (蘇澳), Yilan County, where the boat is based, said the Hsin Teh Yi No. 186 was forced to sail close to Japan’s territorial waters after suffering mechanical failure as its crew tried to avoid a typhoon that was forming in the area.
Tseng said his vessel lost power as a result of an engine injector malfunction, the association said.
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