Officials say the captain of the Chinese fishing boat that collided with Japanese patrol vessels near disputed islands could stand trial in the latest territorial spat between the two neighbors.
Japan Coast Guard spokesman Masahiro Ichijo said Thursday that likelihood increased as Japan's coast guard handed over the 41-year-old captain Zhan Zixiong to prosecutors for further investigation to decide whether to officially charge him in the case.
The captain has been in custody since his arrest Wednesday, after his ship collided with two Japanese patrol boats near a disputed chain of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. No one was injured, and the two Japanese vessels sustained minor damage.
Beijing reacted with swift criticism.