TOKYO, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A Chinese fishing boat skipper was arrested by Japan's coast guard after his vessel sailed into Japanese waters and refused inspection, authorities said.
The incident occurred late Sunday off Nagasaki prefecture, Kyodo News reported.
The Nagasaki coast guard office said Zhang Tianxiong, captain of the 135-ton boat, tried to flee after a Japanese patrol ship asked it to stop for inspection near the Goto Islands in southwestern Japan, Kyodo said.
The patrol ship stopped Zhang's vessel after colliding with it following a 4 1/2-hour chase, the coast guard said.
It was not clear why the Chinese boat tried to flee when told to stop.
Osamu Fujimura, a top Japanese government spokesman, Monday told reporters the skipper would be dealt with ''appropriately'' based on domestic law.
Fujimura said his government sees the arrest as a "regular case' and would take a wait-and-see attitude toward the incident, Kyodo reported.
Similar incidents in the past have become diplomatic issues between the two countries.
