Defense & Security

Chinese Survey Ship Requests Rescue; JCG Rescues Chinese Crew

Courtesy of Japan Coast Guard’s 11th regional headquarters
A Japan Coast Guard patrol ship receives an injured crew member from a Chinese boat on Thursday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:14 JST, May 30, 2025&

A Chinese survey ship requested rescue, saying that a crew member was injured when navigating off the coast of Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, and a Japanese Coast Guard patrol vessel was dispatched.

The JCG rescued the crew member on Thursday.

According to the JCG, the Chinese vessel requested rescue on Wednesday, saying that one crew member had been seriously injured while sailing 526 kilometers southeast of Miyako Island. The crew member was hurt while working and had to have his right thumb amputated.

The dispatched JCG vessel rescued the 43-year-old Chinese man 66 kilometers south of Okinawa Island on Thursday afternoon. They gave him to the Naha City Fire Department’s ambulance team at Naha Port. His life is said to be in good condition.

In December 2019, the same research vessel conducted marine surveys within Japan’s exclusive economic zone around Okinotorishima Island — the southernmost point of Japan — without the consent of the Japanese government. This led the JCG to request that it stop.