A fishing boat sank Saturday afternoon in the Pacific Ocean off Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, leaving two crew members dead and two others missing, the Japan Coast Guard said.
The seven people aboard the 14.98-ton Fukuei Maru No. 8 were thrown into the ocean some 10 km off Rokkasho around 12:20 p.m., but five were rescued by other fishing boats, the coast guard said.
Two of the five later died, the coast guard said. They were skipper Toyotoshi Arahata, 53, and chief engineer Kiyomi Kimura, 67.
The three others were hospitalized in the nearby city of Misawa, but are not in serious condition, according to the fisheries cooperative in Hachinohe to which the boat belongs.
The two missing men are desk chief Katsuhiko Shimamori, 56, and desk crew member Tomizo Noba, 65.