Japan police to hand pro-China group to immigration

TOKYO (AFP) - All 14 pro-China activists arrested after sailing to an island disputed with Japan will soon be in immigration custody as Tokyo prepares their immediate deportation, police said on Friday.

Okinawa Police were making final arrangements to transfer the remaining five to an immigration facility later in the day after nine were sent there overnight, a police spokesman said.

"With the process, they will leave the hands of police and go to immigration," the spokesman told AFP.

The group of activists had sailed from Hong Kong on Sunday. Five of them were arrested on one of the islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese on Wednesday, the 67th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.