On Oct. 8, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) began a full investigation into the collision [between a Fisheries Agency patrol ship and a North Korean fishing boat] by interviewing the captain of the Fisheries Agency’s patrol ship and checking the ship’s hull.

The patrol ship made a port call at Niigata Port in Niigata City in the morning of Oct. 8, a day after it collided with a North Korean fishing boat. Fifteen JCG officers interviewed the captain and a fish warden and checked the ship’s hull from aboard a rubber boat. The JCG will analyze the video footage taken by the patrol ship at the scene of the collision.