Dharamsala, September 13 – Japan today freed the 14 fishermen on board the trawler which collided with Japan Coast Guards ships last week. The collision has sparked off a diplomatic tensions between the two countries with China threatening “worst repercussions” and calling off diplomatic negotiations with Japan over oil and gas fields in the region in protest.
However, the captain of the trawler, Zhan Qixiong, 41, is still being held by Japanese authorities for allegedly “obstructing public duties.” A Japanese court ruled on Friday to detain him for 10 days until Sept. 19.
China has repeatedly demanded the release of the captain and its crew.
“China is firmly opposed to any kind of investigation by Japanese authorities of the illegally-detained Chinese fishing trawler,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Sunday.
Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo on Sunday told Japan to make a “wise political resolution” and immediately release the Chinese fishermen and fishing boat. Dai, who made the remarks after summoning Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa was the highest-ranking Chinese official to react after the fishing boat and its crew were detained Tuesday.
Japan’s top government spokesman, Yoshito Sengoku, said it was regrettable that Ambassador Niwa was summoned at such late hours. He also criticised Beijing for linking the gas talks with the incident, describing them as “totally separate issues”.
The collision last Tuesday occurred close to uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, which are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan. No casualties were reported from the collision.
