1 dead after Japan fishing boat runs aground off Izu Islands

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) — A fishing boat with a crew of 25 mostly Indonesian nationals ran aground off the Izu Islands south of Tokyo, with the Japan Coast Guard confirming the sole missing member, a Japanese citizen, dead on Monday.

The tuna fishing vessel based in Kagoshima Prefecture, with 20 Indonesian and five Japanese crew, was drifting in waters off Kozushima, part of the Izu Island chain, at around 5 p.m. Sunday after suffering engine and power generator problems, the coast guard said.

The dead Japanese crew member went missing from the 379-ton vessel after going outside in the early hours of Monday, the coast guard said.

The remaining 24 people who remained inside the vessel, which appeared to be taking on water, were later rescued by helicopter, according to the coast guard.