A China-registered ship sank off the coast of Shimane Prefecture Tuesday morning, leaving nine people missing while five crew members have been saved, the Japan Coast Guard said, citing a rescue request it received from Chinese authorities late Tuesday night.
The Coast Guard said its 8th Region unit covering waters in the area has dispatched a patrol boat to the scene where the 238-ton vessel Lurongyu 2859 is reported to have submerged roughly 390 km north of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan at around 8 a.m.
The Coast Guard said it received the rescue request from China's search and rescue center at around 11:10 p.m.