Fourteen crew members from three Japanese fishing boats seized by Russia's coast guard on July 3 arrived in Wakkanai Port in northern Hokkaido on Saturday after being released.
The crew members arrived on a routine commercial ferry. The three skippers of the vessels are still being held by Russian authorities, according to Hokkaido Prefectural Government officials.
The three 19-ton ships are the Sawa Maru No. 15, the Shinko Maru No. 38 and the Wakatake Maru No. 22, they said. The first two ships had crews of six, while the third had five.
According to the Rausu fishery cooperative, the three vessels left Rausu port in eastern Hokkaido on July 3 and were halted by Russian authorities in waters off Etorofu Island on suspicion of fishing in waters claimed by Russia.
The fishermen were questioned at Furukamappu on Kunashiri Island, but denied any wrongdoing, they said.
Russia insists the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the small Habomai group of islands are part of the Kuril islands chain, while Japan considers them to be Japanese territory.