Detained fishing boat captain to be released soon: MOFA

Ke Ching-kuo, captain of the Yilan-registered fishing vessel the Chuansheng No. 36, was taken to Yakohama for questioning after his fishing boat was seized by the Japanese coast guard for allegedly crossing a temporary marine boundary between Taiwan and Japan in waters near the Iwo Jiwa islands, 1,200 km south of Tokyo on Feb. 3.

Ke was indicted by a Japanese court Feb. 2 on several charges that included evading investigation and fishing illegally. He is facing a likely fine of up to one million yen (approximately NT$359,000), said Charles Chen, secretary-general of the Association of East Asian Relations, an agency set by Taiwan to handle exchanges with Japan in the absence of official relations.

“Ke has admitted to Japanese prosecutors that his boat illegally entered Japan waters,” Chen said.

Taiwan has asked Japan to speed up the court case so that Ke would be able to return home soon. Immediately after his release, he is expected to join the 10 Indonesia fisherman who were aboard the vessel and are currently being held in the Bonin Islands.

The Japanese court is expected to announce its verdict Feb. 12, and if Ke pays the fine immediately, he should be able to fly to the Bonin Islands via Iwojima the next day and leave for Taiwan with his crew, Chen said.

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