Society

Mar 16, 2026 20:03 (JST)

Naha, Okinawa Pref., March 16 (Jiji Press)–Two ships capsized on Monday off the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, leaving two people dead and two others injured.

There were 21 people aboard the ships–three crew members and 18 second grade students from Doshisha International Senior High School in Kyotanabe, Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, who were visiting Okinawa for study.

The two people who died were a 17-year-old female student and the captain of the 1.9-ton Fukutsu, one of the two ships, who was in his 70s, according to the Japan Coast Guard’s 11th regional headquarters in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.

The incident occurred around 10:10 a.m., when a high surf advisory had been issued for the northern part of Okinawa’s main island, which includes Henoko.

Meanwhile, a patrol boat from the Naha Coast Guard Office investigating the site of the incident also capsized at around 5:05 p.m. Four of the six coast guard officers on board were rescued by another vessel, while the remaining two evacuated to a nearby rocky area. None suffered life-threatening injuries.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Jiji Press

AloJapan.com