Japanese coast guard rescues some 60 crew of North Korean fishing vessel after collision

A handout photo made available by the Japan Coast Guard shows Fisheries Agency patrol boat Okuni, which reportedly collided with a North Korean fishing boat, in waters locally known as Yamatotai, off Japan's northern coast of the Noto Peninsula, pictured in the exclusive economic zone of Japan, on Oct 7, 2019. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

TOKYO (REUTERS, AFP) - The Japan Coast Guard had rescued on Monday (Oct 7) about 60 crew members from a North Korean fishing vessel which collided with a Japanese patrol boat that was chasing it out of Japan's exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK reported.

A Japan Coast Guard official said the incident occurred 350 km north-west of Noto peninsula in central Japan.

"We've been strengthening patrols around the water there in cooperation with the fisheries agency", in recent years following reports that many North Korean fishing boats were poaching fish and squids, Kazuma Nohara, another coastguard spokesman, told AFP.

"Normally, we police illegal fishing with such steps as using water cannon or showing messages on electronic displays. This time, the contact happened while we were warning the ship to sail away," Satoshi Kuwahara, head of Japan's Fisheries Agency's enforcement division, was quoted by NHK as saying.

Local media said no crew members on the Japanese patrol vessel were injured.

Observers say some fishermen from the North are travelling far out to sea in order to satisfy government mandates for bigger catches. But their old and poorly equipped vessels are prone to mechanical faults and other problems, including running out of fuel, and there are few ways for them to call for rescue.

A record 225 suspected North Korean fishing vessels washed up on Japan's coast last year, according to the coastguard. Boats have also washed up on Japanese shores with the crew on board dead - referred to as "ghost ships" by local media.

In 2018, 10 North Koreans rescued from a tiny wooden boat drifting off northern Japan were deported back to their country.

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