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Japan to release Chinese boat captain amid dispute by Alta
TOKYO – Japanese prosecutors decided Friday to release the captain of ugg boots sale a Chinese fishing boat involved in a collision near disputed islands whose detention raised tensions between the Asian neighbors.
The incident had driven relations between China and Japan to their worst in years. Beijing angrily demanded the captain be released and cut off ministerial-level talks with Japan.
Prosecutors in Okinawa, southern Japan, where the captain has been in custody for more than two weeks, said they would let him go, citing the damage done to relations with China. It was unclear when authorities would release him.
The case is still pending, but it looked increasingly unlikely that charges would be filed.
The news came a day after said it was investigating four Japanese uggs on sale suspected of illegally filming military targets and entering a military zone without authorization, as well as reports the country had suspended Japan-bound shipments of rare earth metals critical in advanced manufacturing.
The 41-year-old captain, Zhan Qixiong, was arrested on Sept. 8 after his fishing trawler collided with Japanese coast guard vessels near a string of islands in the East China Sea called Diaoyu or Diaoyutai in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese.
Located 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of Taiwan, the islands are controlled by Japan, but also claimed by Taiwan and China. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are regularly occupied by nationalists from both sides.
The arrest sparked anti-Japanese protests in numerous locations around China, and the dispute spilled over to cultural ties. On Tuesday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao threatened “further action” against Japan if it did not release the captain immediately.
At a press conference in Naha, Okinawa, prosecutors said Zhan was “just a fishing boat captain” and had no criminal record in Japan. They did not perceive any premeditated intent to damage the Japanese patrol boats, said Toru Suzuki, the office’s vice prosecutor.
“We have decided that further investigation while keeping the captain in custody would not be appropriate, considering the impact on the people of our country, as well as the Japan-China relations in the future,” he said.
The territorial dispute is one of several that have strained China’s ties with its Asian neighbors while its increasingly powerful navy enforces claims in disputed waters and its growing demand for resources sends commercial ships farther from its shores.
Washington has signaled its intention to protect its interests in the region and keep its waterways open for commerce, urging China to resolve separate, long-running territorial disputes with its Southeast Asian neighbors involving the Spratleys and other islands in the South China Sea.
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The territorial dispute is one of several that have strained China’s ties with its Asian neighbors while its increasingly powerful navy enforces claims in disputed waters and its growing demand for resources sends commercial ships farther from its shores
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