War Rumours Threats: North Korean ship collides with Japanese vessel as tensions between the two escalate. Twenty, 20 (5+5+5+5) thrown into the water.

NORTH KOREAN fisherman were thrown overboard after a large fishing trawler collided with a Japanese patrol ship on Monday.

By WESLEY HUDSON PUBLISHED: 06:29, Mon, Oct 7, 2019 | UPDATED: 09:39, Mon, Oct 7, 2019. Express.co.uk

According to Japan’s coast guard, a patrol ship for the Japanese fishing agencies collided with a large North Korean fishing boat at around 9:10am JST (1.10am BST). Japan public broadcaster NHK claimed the collision happened in the sea between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. The crash happened off Japan’s north coast which was crowded with poachers.

NHK reported the North Korean ship flooded and 20 people were thrown overboard.

According to the Japan Coast Guard, the country’s fisheries agency was rescuing the crew members who were flung from the ship.

Japan’s Coast Guard said in a statement: “We have confirmed that there was a collision, and we are currently investigating the details.

“At the present time, we have not received information about any injuries.”

The patrol ship was not damaged and the condition of the other boat is being assessed.

It comes less than a week after North Korea launched a missile which landed off Japans coast in its exclusive economic zone. Japanese broadcaster TBS claimed Monday’s collision also occurred within the zone.

The country has stepped up patrols in the areas North Korean squid poaching has surged

Experts believe the increase is due to a campaign by Pyongyang to boost fish harvests.

Japan’s coast guard in June pushed more than 300 North Korean boats back from the same waters.

North Korean ships have been repeatedly warned by Japan’s firings agencies when they have sailed into the country’s waters.

They have been warned their squid fishing operations are illegal.

Chief of Japan’s fisheries control division Satoshi Kuwahara told reporters the agency’s patrol boats set off water cannons.

Flash electric bulletin board messages to ships that illegally enter Japan’s water are also used.

Monday’s collision occurred while Japan’s patrol boat was sending out such warnings to the North Korean trawler.

Japan also said an armed North Korean fishing boat “threatened” a Japanese patrol ship in August.

The missiles launched by North Korea last week mounted tensions in the area.

Tokyo attacked North Korea’s launch by claiming the country had breached UN resolution rules.

Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, claimed that one of the rockets had landed in water off Chimane prefecture.

He also revealed the two missiles were fired within in minutes of each other.

South Korea claimed the missile came from a submarine.