Taiwan's cargo ship captain arrested in Japan

OSAKA - The captain of a cargo ship from China's Taiwan, which was in collision with two fishing boats in waters in Osaka Bay in western Japan, was arrested Tuesday by the Japanese coast guard on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death, local press reported.

The 64-year-old captain from Taiwan was arrested with a local pilot by the 5th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Kobe City following Monday's collision, which left one crew member on the fishing boats dead, while another went missing, according to the country's public broadcaster Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK).

The collisions occurred on Monday morning when the 13,000-ton ship collided with the two fishing boats, which belong to a local fisheries cooperative of Osaka Prefecture. Local coast guard rescued three of the four crew members flung into the water from their boats which overturned, but one of those rescued, the 30- year-old man, later died, the report said.

The report cited the coast guard officials as saying that the captain has been suspected of neglecting the act of keeping watch on board the cargo ship which could have recognized the 10-ton fishing boats by means of its radar and reduced the speed of the vessel in the bay.

The coast guard is still searching for the missing one in the sea area, about five km off an artificial island in which Kansai International Airport is located, on Tuesday.