Twenty-nine Chinese men were arrested late Sunday and early Monday on suspicion of attempting to illegally enter Japan after a Japanese freighter hit and sank the ship they were traveling on, according to the Japan Coast Guard.
The 1,096-ton Cambodian freighter, the Mascot, sank early Sunday when it was struck in the port bow by the 498-ton Japanese freighter Clipper in the Pacific off Susami, Wakayama Prefecture, the coast guard said.
The 29 Chinese and the Mascot's 12 Chinese crew members were rescued and hoisted aboard the Japanese ship. The 29 Chinese hail from Fujian Province and include two minors, coast guard officials said, adding the crew members were being questioned in the case.
The incident occurred when the Clipper's bow apparently rammed the port side of the Mascot, the coast guard said.
The Japanese vessel, owned by a shipping company in Okayama Prefecture, was transporting 600 tons of steel from the city of Handa, Aichi Prefecture, to Hakata port in Fukuoka Prefecture.
The Mascot was transporting 1,400 tons of pumice stones from Shanghai to the city of Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture.