Jakarta – A fishing vessel carrying 20 crew members, including five Indonesians, capsized off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the five Indonesian crew members are safe.
“The Japan Coast Guard informed us that all five Indonesian crew members are in good condition,” said Judha Nugraha, Director of the Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Legal Entities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by Antara on Tuesday (7/1/2025).
Judha stated that the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo is coordinating with local authorities, including the Japan Coast Guard, to monitor the search operation and the condition of the Indonesian crew members. The incident resulted in two fatalities and three individuals still missing, with the deceased and missing reported to be Japanese nationals.
Japan’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Masaki Yasushi, expressed his condolences regarding the sinking of the fishing vessel near Kashima Port, which had both Japanese and Indonesian crew members aboard.
“We pray for the success of the search efforts and the swift recovery of the other crew members,” Masaki said via the official Instagram account @jpnambsindonesia on Monday.
The incident occurred on Monday (6/1), local time. The vessel was carrying 20 crew members, including 15 Japanese nationals and five Indonesians.
The ship was a sardine fishing vessel that had been operating in the area with two other vessels since midday Sunday (5/1). Other nearby boats have also joined in the search for the missing crew.
According to NHK, 17 crew members have been rescued so far. The two fatalities identified were Japanese nationals.
