Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. paid a deposit of about ¥4 billion to secure the release of an ore carrier seized in China, sources said Thursday.

The ship was seized Saturday based on a Shanghai court ruling involving a dispute over compensation from a contract predating World War II.

The court's move has renewed fears in Japan that the assets of other Japanese companies operating in China might be confiscated on the basis of wartime rulings in favor of Chinese plaintiffs.