A body discovered a week ago on the beach near Hokkaido's scenic Shiretoko Peninsula was confirmed to be that of the captain of a tourist boat that sank nearby in April, the coast guard said Saturday.
The 19-ton Kazu I, carrying 24 passengers and two crew members, made a distress call and disappeared on April 23 after leaving Utoro port in Shari for sightseeing along the peninsula, despite a forecast for rough weather.
With the confirmed death of the 54-year-old captain, Noriyuki Toyoda, a total of 19 victims have been identified, with seven still missing.
Toyoda's identity was confirmed through DNA samples taken from his body, according to the 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.
His body was found on the morning of Sept. 17 by a local fisherman, who was voluntarily searching for missing people from the boat.