The arrest of a Chinese trawler captain involved in a collision with Japan Coast Guard patrol boats in disputed waters was appropriate, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara firmly stated once again Tuesday.
During a session of the Upper House committee on foreign affairs and defense, Maehara stressed that the collision was intentionally caused by the Chinese fishing boat and that video footage proves it.
"The trawler rammed the coast guard vessel and could have sunk it," Maehara said. "It was a malicious act and I think that the arrest (of the captain) for obstructing the public duties of a government official was natural."