TOKYO: Two people went missing after a cargo ship collided with a recreational fishing boat off the coast of central Japan’s Mie Prefecture on Friday, local media reported.

According to the Japan Coast Guard, a 499-ton cargo vessel struck a recreational fishing boat shortly before 1 p.m. local time in waters off Toba, Mie Prefecture, causing the smaller vessel to capsize, public brochures NHK reported.

There were 13 people aboard the fishing boat at the time of the collision.

Eleven were rescued by nearby ships and other vessels in the area, while two remain unaccounted for, the report said.

Aerial footage by NHK showed the fishing boat split into two pieces and severely damaged following the collision.

The coast guard was continuing search and rescue operations and investigating the incident.

-Xinhua

KATHMANDU: Japan recorded a decline in foreign visitors in January for the first time in four years, with numbers falling 4.9% year-on-year to approximately 3.6 million, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

The drop, the first annual decrease since Jan 2022, was largely driven by a sharp 60.7% fall in tourists from China, who numbered just 385,300.

This marks the second consecutive month of decline from Chinese travelers.

The slowdown comes after Beijing urged its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi linking Japan’s security to Taiwan amid rising regional tensions.

The timing of the Chinese Lunar New Year in mid-February also contributed to lower January arrivals.

Tourism from other countries partly offset the decline, with visitors from South Korea up 22%, alongside increases from Taiwan and the United States.

However, the drop in Chinese tourists has hit Japan’s tourism sector, particularly affecting retail and duty-free sales, highlighting how geopolitical tensions can directly influence travel and commerce.