Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Tokyo has lodged a protest with Pyongyang over a collision between a North Korean fishing boat that illegally entered Japan's exclusive economic zone and a Japanese patrol boat, pledging to step up measures against foreign poachers.
Japanese authorities on Monday rescued about 60 North Korean fishermen who were thrown to the sea after their ship collided with a Japanese Fisheries Agency inspection vessel and sank in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the country's northern coast.
Abe said Tuesday that Japanese authorities helped the fishermen onto another North Korean ship and let them go due to lack of evidence showing illegal fishing.
The area has been crowded with North Korean poachers. Experts say the increase is due to Pyongyang's campaign to boost fish harvests.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
