Japan Seizes Chinese Fishing Vessel, Escalating Tensions with China

Japan has seized a Chinese fishing vessel and arrested its captain for allegedly fleeing an inspection in Japan’s exclusive economic zone near Nagasaki Prefecture. The incident, the first involving a Chinese vessel since 2022, has added to rising tensions between Japan and China, already strained by disputes over Taiwan, military encounters near the Okinawa Islands, and competing claims over the Senkaku Islands.

Japan’s Fisheries Agency said it seized a Chinese fishing vessel and arrested its captain after the boat allegedly fled from an inspection within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, an incident that has further strained already tense relations between the two neighbouring countries. According to the agency, a fisheries inspector ordered the vessel to stop for inspection, but the captain failed to comply with the directive and attempted to escape, prompting Japanese authorities to intervene.
Japanese officials said the vessel was eventually seized in waters off southwest Nagasaki Prefecture. There were 11 people on board the fishing boat at the time of the incident, including the captain and 10 other crew members. Authorities confirmed that while Japan has seized fishing vessels from South Korea and Taiwan in recent years for similar violations, this was the first seizure involving a Chinese fishing vessel since 2022, making the case particularly sensitive.
The incident has occurred against the backdrop of an ongoing diplomatic dispute between Japan and China, marked by increasing political, military and security tensions. Relations between the two countries deteriorated further in November last year after Japan’s conservative leader Sanae Takaichi suggested that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. Her remarks were seen as significantly tougher than those of previous Japanese leaders and were strongly criticised by Beijing.
Tensions deepened again in December when Tokyo accused Chinese military aircraft of locking their radar onto Japanese fighter jets near the Okinawa Islands, an allegation that raised concerns about the risk of accidental confrontation in the region. China has rejected similar accusations in the past, but the claims added to growing mistrust between the two sides.
Beyond recent incidents, Japan and China have long-standing territorial disputes, particularly over the Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Japan but claimed by China, where they are known as the Diaoyu Islands. China’s military and coast guard presence in and around the disputed waters has been a recurring source of friction, contributing to persistent diplomatic and security tensions between the two countries.