The last three crew members of a Japanese fishing vessel seized in November in Angola's exclusive economic zone headed back to Japan on Saturday night, Foreign Ministry officials said Sunday.
The three were in good heath. They were allowed to return to Japan as the case was settled out of court on condition that the vessel, the Shoei Maru No. 18, would be sold to Angola, the officials said.
The vessel, which belonged to Haneda Suisan, a fishing company based in Kushikino, Kagoshima Prefecture, was seized for operating in Angolan waters without permission.
Nineteen other crew members -- three Japanese and 16 Indonesians -- have already been repatriated.
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