Japan Show `Regret Over Ship Seizure`

Japan expressed its regret over the forced search and seizure of a South Korean fishing boat for 15 hours on 11th, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said yesterday.

Inomata Hiroshi of Japanes Embassy visited Kim Kyong-Keun Director-General of the Foreign Ministry`s overseas residents and consular affairs bureau on 18th, and explained the event. He said that the maritime police stopped the South Korean fishing boat `909 Sungjin` according to testimony by an illegal entrant from China, who was arrested on 10th. The procedures of issuing and delivering a search warrant took a relatively long time. And he added that it should never happen again.

Regarding this, Director-General Kim pointed out that Japan`s maritime security can search the ship, but in this event it took too long time. And he requested to finish the search quickly and minimize the damages to Korean fishermen in the future.

Boo Hyung-Kwon bookum90@donga.com