Boat With 4 Crew Members Sinks While Being Towed By North Korean Cargo Vessel Off Japan

Authorities are conducting search and rescue operations along the northwestern coast of Japan after an auxiliary vessel sank when it was being towed by a cargo vessel registered in North Korea.

The accident, which has left 1 crew member missing, occurred at 3:00 AM local time on September 17, 2026, within the exclusive economic zone of Japan.

Rescue Coordination Centre of North Korea informed the Japan Coast Guard’s 8th Regional Headquarters in Kyoto around 7:45 AM that 4 crew members had fallen into the water from a boat.

Japanese authorities then sent patrol ships, aircraft, and rescue teams to the scene, after which rescuers saved two crew members from the water at around 12:15 PM.

The 3rd crew member was found less than an hour later after suffering a cardiopulmonary arrest. He was then presumed dead due to a lack of vital signs; the search for the fourth crew member continues.

South Korea’s Navy and Coast Guard have joined the search efforts 200 kilometres off South Korea’s eastern city of Pohang. Japan is looking into the nationalities of the crew members, why the ship sank and what it was doing in the area.

The boat sank 104 km southwest of Nishinoshima in the Oki Islands, off the coast of Shimane Prefecture, according to sources.

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