6 Indonesians Missing as Boat Capsizes Off Japan Islands

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A boat was reported to have capsized when sailing off the Islands of Senkaku. Japan's coast guard said on Monday that it was searching for seven people, six of which are Indonesian nationals. 

The Japanese navy patrol boat saw the boat overturned on Sunday afternoon, March 5. It drifted in waters north of the islands controlled by Tokyo, but also claimed by China.

"We have been searching the area with patrol ships and helicopters since receiving the information at around 1:30 p.m. (04:30 GMT) on Sunday from the Maritime Self-Defense Force," coastguard spokesman Keisuke Nakao told AFP as quoted by RFI, Monday. 

Nakao said that six of the missing crew members are Indonesians and one is Taiwanese.

Nakao said Japanese authorities were coordinating with their counterparts in Taiwan, which also lays claim to the Senkaku islets. Beijing calls the uninhabited territory Diaoyu Islands.

The Taiwanese Foreign Affairs Minister has released a statement confirming that the capsized vessel was a fishing boat registered in Taiwan. "The coast guards of Taiwan and Japan have also dispatched boats for search and rescue," the statement said.

Judha Nugraha, the Foreign Affairs Ministry's Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens, said that his department was still coordinating with representatives of the Indonesian government in Japan and the Indonesian Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan.

DANIEL A. FAJRI | RFI

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