Eighteen Filipino crew members were rescued Friday morning from their listing freighter off Fukuoka Prefecture, coast guard officials said.
The apparent shifting of the cargo of lumber on the 5,000-ton freighter Siti Aishah caused the vessel to heel, the officials said, adding that the sea was calm.
A worker on a fishing boat saw the crew of the listing Panamanian-registered freighter jumping into the sea around 6 a.m., they said.
A coast guard patrol boat rushed to the scene and rescued the Filipinos shortly after 7:30 a.m.
The freighter was on its way from Malaysia to Toyama Prefecture, the officials said.
The coast guard left the freighter at the scene, they said.