Japanese authorities seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its skipper, media reports said Friday, in a move likely to further heighten tensions with Beijing.The vessel allegedly defied an order to stop while within Japan's exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyodo News reported, quoting the Fisheries Agency.
The incident marks the first time since 2022 that the agency has seized a Chinese fishing boat, Kyodo said.
In November, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enraged China by suggesting that Japan would intervene militarily if Beijing sought to take Taiwan by force.
