Murder charge: Japan begins arresting crew members of a Russian ship

As a result of the collision of the Russian trawler "Amur" and the Japanese fishing schooner "Dai-hachi Hokko-maru" on May 26, near the port of Monbetsu on the island of Hokkaido, three Japanese sailors were killed. As a result of the investigation, the Japanese authorities decided to arrest the third mate of the Amur.

The arrested 38-year-old Pavel Dobriansky is currently being held in a remand prison. The sailor is accused of the manslaughter of Japanese citizens, as he was on watch at the time of the incident. Charges have not yet been brought against other members of the trawler's crew.



According to the Russian consul Roman Kolesnikov, within three days the Japanese will decide whether there is a reason to start an investigation against Dobriansky. After that, the Japanese authorities will have "10 plus 10" days at their disposal in order to either release the arrested person or bring his case to court.

By the ruling of the Asahikawa City District Court, on June 2, the Amur was detained for the Russian side to post a bail related to the claim of the owners of the Japanese schooner. Local law enforcement officers seized documents from the Russians.

The Russian Consulate General clarified that the reason for the incident could be a thick fog, because of which the Russian sailors could not see the Dai-hachi Hokko-maru in time. At the same time, as reported by the Far Eastern Transport Investigation Department, the Japanese ship in such difficult meteorological conditions did not give any signals.