The Yokohama District Court on Tuesday sentenced a Chinese fishing boat captain to 18 months in prison, suspended for four years, for poaching coral in Japanese territorial waters.
The 43-year-old skipper, Lin Benzhang, was also fined ¥4 million for illegally collecting precious red coral last Nov. 21 about 15 km off Yomejima in the Ogasawara Islands about 1,000 km south of Tokyo.
"This is a premeditated act as crew members were gathered and the fishing boat was converted for coral poaching," presiding Judge Wataru Nemoto said in the ruling, censuring Lin for his "heinous" motive.
Noting that the surge in Chinese coral poachers has caused environmental problems in the area, Nemoto also said Lin's boat was just sailing after other ships and "the responsibility is limited."
Lin's lawyers said "there was very little influence as the accused just poached four corals."
The case is one of several to have emerged in recent months, with the government forced to crack down on an increasing number of Chinese vessels spotted poaching red coral around the Ogasawara Islands since last September. The coral is highly prized in China and used for ornaments and jewelry.