Beijing protested on Friday after the arrest of a Chinese fishing captain by Japan. This incident revives territorial disputes between China and Japan, and tensions around Taiwan.

Published on: 02/13/2026 - 09:39 Modified on: 02/13/2026 - 11:30

Japanese authorities announced on Friday January 13 the arrest of the captain of a Chinese fishing boat and the seizure of the boat which was in the Japanese exclusive economic zone, prompting a warning from Beijing, whose relations with Tokyo are degraded.

"The captain of the (Chinese) vessel was ordered to stop for a check by a fisheries inspector, but the vessel did not comply and fled. As a result, the captain of the vessel was arrested," the country's Fisheries Agency said in a statement.

The incident occurred Thursday off the coast of Nagasaki department (southwest), she added.

Japan remains firm

This is the first seizure of a Chinese fishing boat by the Fisheries Agency since 2022, according to the Kyodo news agency.

The captain is a Chinese national, Zheng Nianli, aged 47. Ten other sailors, whose identities were not revealed, were on board the Qiong Dong Yu, and their fate was unclear.

China has called on Tokyo to respect the rights of the crew members of the seized boat.

Read alsoChina-Japan: when the verbal escalation around Taiwan disrupts trade and tourism

“We hope Japan will strictly abide by the China-Japan Fisheries Agreement, implement the law fairly, and protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese crew members,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.

Japan's Fisheries Agency told Kyodo it seized two foreign fishing vessels last year, one from Taiwan and the other from South Korea.

“To prevent illegal fishing operations carried out by foreign vessels, we will continue to take firm measures and carry out control activities,” said the government's chief spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, on Friday.

There are numerous disputes, particularly territorial ones, between China and Japan. Several incidents have already involved ships from the two neighbors near the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu by the Chinese), administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, putting Beijing in conflict with several of its Southeast Asian neighbors.

About Taiwan

In November, Japanese nationalist Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi provoked China's anger and diplomatic tensions between Asia's two largest economies by suggesting that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te also declared this week that other countries - including Japan - would be China's next targets if Beijing seizes Taiwan.

“The next countries at risk would be Japan, the Philippines and others in the Indo-Pacific region, with repercussions ultimately reaching the Americas and Europe,” he said.

After Sanae Takaichi's comments last fall, Beijing advised its nationals against traveling to Japan and tightened its controls on exports of dual-use products, civil and military, including rare earths crucial for Japanese industries.

Read alsoDuring a deep-water mission, Japan extracts sediments containing rare earths

At the beginning of December, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi claimed that Chinese military planes had locked their radars on Japanese fighters off the island of Okinawa (south of the Japanese archipelago). Claims rejected by Beijing.

“Our country is open to various dialogues with China,” Ms. Takaichi declared on Monday the day after the legislative elections which gave the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) an absolute majority in the lower house of Parliament.

“Advocating discussion on one side while continuing confrontation on the other... No one would accept this kind of dialogue,” retorted a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian.

If Japan wants to improve its relations with China, it must "retract (Ms) Takaichi's erroneous remarks regarding Taiwan", he stressed.

With AFP

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