MOSCOW (Kyodo) Russia's border guard service said Thursday it has launched an investigation into the Japanese crab boat it seized Tuesday in the Sea of Japan.

The 122-ton Yoshi Maru No. 38, which arrived at Nakhodka port in Russia's Far East on Wednesday, is suspected of fishing in Russia's exclusive economic zone without authorization, border guard officials said.

Investigators will question the ship's 10 crew members and inspect the vessel's catch, they said.

Skipper Masafumi Ando has declared that his boat is carrying more than 300 cases of frozen crab, they said.

Officials of the Japanese Consulate General in Vladivostok confirmed the boat is anchored in Nakhodka and interviewed crew member Nobuhiro Funakoshi for about an hour. The crew members have no health problems, the officials quoted him as saying.

Funakoshi also told the consulate officials about the situation where the boat was seized, they said.

The Yoshi Maru No. 38, owned by the fishery firm Hiyoshi Suisan, based in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, was seized in the Sea of Japan some 480 km north of the city Tuesday, the prefectural said.