Japan seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its captain off southern Japan in an incident that risks further straining already frayed ties between Asia’s two largest economies.
Japan’s Fisheries Agency said an inspector had ordered the vessel to stop for a routine check, but “the vessel failed to comply and fled.” The agency added: “Consequently, the vessel’s captain was arrested on the same day.” It was the first seizure of a Chinese fishing boat by Japan’s fisheries authorities since 2022.
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The episode comes three months after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan would intervene militarily if Beijing moved to take Taiwan by force, a stance that has soured relations and triggered a series of warnings and shows of force from China.
Japan and China remain deeply intertwined economically, but political tensions have sharpened. After Takaichi’s comments, Beijing summoned Tokyo’s ambassador, cautioned Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan and held joint air drills with Russia, underscoring how the Taiwan issue is reshaping the regional security landscape.
Military frictions have also sharpened at sea and in the air. In December, China’s J-15 fighters from the aircraft carrier Liaoning twice locked fire-control radar on Japanese aircraft in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan. Beijing has tightened controls on exports to Japan for items with potential military uses, raising worries about supplies of strategically important materials such as rare earths.
China has long insisted that self-ruled Taiwan—once occupied by Japan until 1945—is its territory and has not ruled out force to achieve what it calls “reunification.” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told AFP this week that countries including Japan could be Beijing’s next targets should China seize the island, heightening anxiety in Tokyo over the implications of any conflict across the Taiwan Strait.
Takaichi, Japan’s first woman prime minister and a longtime China hawk, won a landslide victory in snap elections last week, positioning her to set Tokyo’s domestic and foreign policy course for the next four years. She has vowed to bolster Japan’s defenses and “steadfastly protect” its territory, while stressing she is “open to various dialogues with China.” Japan hosts roughly 60,000 U.S. troops, a cornerstone of its security posture.
Beijing has signaled it expects Tokyo to temper its rhetoric. China’s foreign ministry said “genuine dialogue should be built on respect for one another,” while symbols of thaw have been scarce: Japan’s last two giant pandas were returned to China last month as ties chilled.
Territorial friction has long dogged the relationship. Chinese and Japanese vessels frequently shadow each other around the Senkaku Islands—known in China as the Diaoyu—in the East China Sea. The 2010 arrest by Japan of another Chinese fishing captain near the disputed islets sparked a major diplomatic confrontation and a surge of nationalist anger in both countries.
Details about the latest seizure, including the precise location, the size of the crew and the potential charges, were not immediately available. But the timing and symbolism are unmistakable: as Tokyo hardens its stance on Taiwan and maritime security, even routine enforcement actions at sea risk becoming flashpoints in a fraught and closely watched rivalry.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
