Chinese captain gets suspended sentence in Japan
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Xinhua, January 31, 2012
A local court in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture gave a Chinese fisherman a 6-month suspended sentence plus a fine of one million yen (about 13,108 U.S. dollars) for illegal operation in Japanese territorial waters, Chinese consulate-general officials said Tuesday.
The local court ruled that the fisherman offended the country's fishing order by operating illegally in Japanese territorial waters for coral.
The fisherman, Zhong Jinyin, was sentenced to six months in prison, which was suspended for three years.
Officials at the Chinese Consulate-General in Nagasaki told Xinhua that the fisherman had accepted the ruling and was transferred to the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Bureau after he paid the fine.
Zhong was the captain of a fishing boat that was found carrying out operation in Japanese territorial waters off Goto Islands in southwestern Nagasaki Prefecture by local coast guards.
Zhong was taken to the coast guard office in the city of Nagasaki on Dec. 20 and has been detained there since that day.
The other 10 crew members on board were brought to the city on the following day. They were released on Dec. 29.
On learning the detention, the Chinese consulate-general has urged the Japanese authorities to ensure the safety of the Chinese fishermen and make sure their legal rights be protected.
The officials at the consulate-general said the fisherman is expected to be repatriated in the next couple of days.
