Japanese media reports that five people have gone missing after a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel capsized off Okinawa on Tuesday, March 2.
The Japan Coast Guard received a distress call at 08:50 local time on Tuesday from the crew of the tuna longliner Shen Lian Cheng 707 stating that their vessel was in danger of sinking in rough waters.
The coast guard despatched a vessel and an aircraft to the area. The aircraft arrived on-scene around 30 minutes after the distress call was sent.
The coast guard aircrew said they spotted the overturned longliner and eight people adrift in the water at a point 330 kilometres north of Okinawa's Ishigaki Island.
Japanese officials later told local media that five of Shen Lian Cheng 707's 10 crew were picked up out of the water by another Chinese vessel. However, no traces of the five other crewmembers have yet been found.