The Japan Coast Guard on Sunday examined a fishing boat found capsized last week with seven of its crew dead and said marks on it appear to match damage found on an Israeli freighter.
The 19-ton Shinsei Maru No. 3 was brought up on dry land for the inspection.
"We continue to suspect the Israeli ship was involved, but we need to wait for results of further investigations," said coast guard official Shozo Sano.
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