Shii demands explanation for release of Chinese captain

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Shii demands explanation for release of Chinese captain

The Naha Prosecutor’s Office in Okinawa on September 24 decided to release a Chinese fishing boat captain by reserving judgment on whether to indict him. The captain was arrested on September 8 after his trawler collided with two Japan Coast Guard vessels in waters near the Senkaku Islands.

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on the same day at a news conference issued the following comment:

The Japan Coast Guard was following procedure by enforcing laws concerning foreign vessels’ illegal fishing activities within Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands. The prosecutor’s office decided to release the arrested Chinese captain with the possibility of future indictment. Regarding this decision, it should provide to the public a clear explanation as to information precipitating the arrest and how the decision to release the captain was made.

In order to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, it is necessary for the Japanese government to step up efforts to provide the Chinese government and the international community indisputable facts that show that Japan is entitled to sovereignty over the Senkakus based on historical facts and international law. At the same time, the JCP calls on the Chinese government to calmly respond to the incident without provoking hostilities.

- Akahata, September 25, 2010