The foreign ministry has demanded that Japan immediately release a Taiwanese fishing boat that was apprehended in the disputed waters around Okinotorishima.
A Japanese patrol boat chased the Taiwanese fishing boat “Tung Sheng Chi 16” on Sunday some 150 nautical miles off the unmanned atoll which is under Japanese administration. It then seized the boat and its crew.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry has said that although the waters around Okinotorishima are disputed, Japan’s seizure of the fishing boat is unacceptable. The foreign ministry has called for official negotiations with Japan to secure the immediate release of the boat and its crew.