Russian border police seized a Japanese fishing boat and its six crew members in disputed waters between the two countries, officials confirmed today.
The No. 38 Zuisho Maruwas captured on Sunday morning off Kunashiri Island, one of four disputed islands in a group the Japanese call the Northern Territories and the Russians call the Kurils, a Japan Coast Guard spokeswoman said.
The boat, which was stopped by the Russian border police for inspection, has not returned to its home port of Rausu on the eastern coast of Japan's main northern island of Hokkaido. The current location of the crew and their condition was unknown, she said.
Japan's Foreign Ministry lodged a protest, demanding Russia provide an explanation and resolve the case promptly.
Russia seized the four-island chain from Japan in the closing days of World War II. The dispute has kept the two countries from a signing a formal peace treaty.
There have been frequent seizures of Japanese boats in recent months as Russian authorities have stepped up patrols in and around the disputed territory.
In August, Russian patrol boats fatally shot a Japanese fisherman and seized a vessel in the disputed northern waters, escalating tensions between the two nations.
Leaders from both sides have since called for talks to be stepped up so that a peace treaty can be signed.
AP
