Boat sinks off disputed Japan islands, seven missing

• A Japanese navy patrol in the region discovered the capsized boat on Sunday.
• Even though the coastguard indicated the boat “looks to be a fishing boat.”
• The crews consist of one Taiwanese and six Indonesians.

Japan’s coastguard reported on Monday that it was looking for seven people who had vanished after their boat capsized and was found in the waters around the Senkaku island, which is controlled by Tokyo but is also claimed by China.

A Japanese navy patrol in the region discovered the capsized boat on Sunday afternoon as it was drifting in the waters north of the islands, according to coastguard spokesman Keisuke Nakao for AFP.

He noted that the crews consist of one Taiwanese and six Indonesians.

‘After getting the information at around 1:30 pm (0430 GMT) Sunday from the Maritime Self-Defense Force, we have been scanning the region with patrol ships and aircraft,’ he said.

Even though the coastguard indicated the boat “looks to be a fishing boat,” local Japanese media reported that it was Taiwanese.

Nakao claimed that Taiwan, which also claims the Senkaku islets, and Japanese officials were collaborating. Beijing refers to the unpopulated area as the Diaoyu Islands.

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