Japan Rejects North Korea's Compensation Demand For Sunken Vessel

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published October 15, 2019 | 01:51 PM

Japan has rejected North Korea's demand for compensation for a fishing boat that sank after colliding with a Japanese coast guard vessel in the Sea of Japan earlier in October, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said on Tuesday at a news conference

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2019) Japan has rejected North Korea's demand for compensation for a fishing boat that sank after colliding with a Japanese coast guard vessel in the Sea of Japan earlier in October, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said on Tuesday at a news conference.

"This [North Korea's demand for compensation] is completely unacceptable. We have again protested through diplomatic channels in Beijing," the top official said.

The accident happened on October 7 about 180 miles from the Noto Peninsula within Japan's exclusive economic zone, near one of the best fishing grounds in the area.

The North Korean vessel reportedly started to sink after the collision, throwing 60 people overboard. Japan's Coast Guard and Fisheries Agency mobilized patrol ships to the area shortly afterward, and all 60 people were saved and transferred onto another North Korean ship that had arrived later.

North Korea later demanded financial compensation from Tokyo.