5 Indonesian Citizens Survived The Fishing Boat That Sank In Japan

Illustration of drowning (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) confirmed that five Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were crew members of fishing boats that sank in Japanese waters on Monday, January 6, were safe.

The Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and International Legal Entities (BHI) of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, stated that the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Tokyo had coordinated with local authorities, including the Japanese coast guard service, to monitor the progress of the search and ensure the condition of the five Indonesian citizens.

"The Coast Guard provides information that the five Indonesian citizens are safe," Judha said in a written statement quoted by ANTARA on Tuesday, January 7.

Judha also explained that the two crew members who were found dead and the other three who were still missing were Japanese citizens.

Based on a Japanese Times report, the fishing boat *Ohama Maru 8* overturned about 31 kilometers east of the coast of Kashima Harbor, Ibaraki Prefecture, Central Japan. This incident left two people dead, three crew members missing, while 15 others were rescued, including five Indonesian citizens.

The ship is owned by cooperatives in the Kitaibaraki area, Ibaraki Prefecture, and carries 20 crew members, consisting of 15 Japanese citizens and five Indonesian citizens. The incident occurred on Monday at 02.08 am local time (00.08 WIB).

One of the crew members who was rescued said that the ship slowly began to tilt after catching large numbers of fish, eventually capsized.

The Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Masaki Yasushi, expressed his condolences for this incident through social media. "We pray that the search efforts will produce results and other crew members will recover soon," he said through the official Instagram account @jpnambsindonesia.

Until now, the Japanese authorities are still continuing their search for the three crew members who have not been found. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ensures that it will continue to monitor the situation to protect Indonesian citizens who were victims in this incident.