Boat Hit by Russian Fire, Japan Says
Russia’s coast guard fired on a Japanese fishing boat within Japan’s northern waters Friday and then took the boat into Russian waters, government officials in Tokyo said.
No one was reported hurt in the incident, which Japan said happened about 150 miles south of a group of disputed islands seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. Both sides claim historical ownership of the islands, which Tokyo calls the Northern Territories.
In Moscow, the Itar-Tass news agency said a Russian patrol boat came across a fishing boat in Russian territorial waters with its name and number concealed. It was unclear where the Russian pursuit began.
The boat tried to escape and avoid inspection, the agency said.
According to the Interfax news agency, the Russian border guards pursued the fishing boat into Japan’s economic zone.
The Japan Coast Guard said the mast and dining room area of the fishing boat, called the No. 7 Daitokumaru, were hit.
None of the 20 crew members were hurt, according to an initial report from the boat.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Tokyo had demanded that Russia immediately return those aboard as well as explain what happened.
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