NAHA, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) A disabled fishing boat skipper who fell overboard off Shimoji Island, Okinawa Prefecture, was rescued by the Japan Coast Guard after about 15 hours, coast guard officials said.
Yoshiyuki Nashiro, 55, who has disabled legs, departed alone aboard his 3-ton boat from a port on Miyakojima at around 4 p.m. Monday to fish for squid. He was thrown into the ocean when a high wave overturned his boat at around 8 p.m.
Because he could not use his legs to swim and was not wearing a life jacket, he used his arms to tread water until his rescue some 15 hours later.
When Nashiro did not return home at night, his family went out to sea to search for him and found his overturned boat at around 8 a.m Tuesday. They notified the local coast guard station. Rescue personnel found him three hours later about 500 meters from the boat.
Nashiro was taken to a hospital but was not found to be seriously injured and was released later in the day.
He probably survived because by treading water instead of swimming he managed to retain his strength, officials at the Miyakojima Coast Guard Station said.
