The Japanese Fisheries Agency has seized a South Korean squid catching boat in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off Sado Island, Kyodo News reported on Monday.

The agency announced earlier in the day that the boat was seized because it falsified the amount of its catches when it fished in the water close to Niigata Prefecture, and the captain of the boat was arrested for violating the law concerning Japan's fishing rights in its EEZ.

A patrol ship of the agency's regional office carried out on Sunday evening an on-board inspection of the fishing boat on the Sea of Japan at about 375 kilometers northwest of Sado Island, and found out that its catch in the five days beginning Aug. 23 was 17,397 kg, nearly four times of the amount it logged, the agency said.

According to Japanese regulations, fishing boats from South Korea can operate in Japan's EEZ after obtaining permission, but have to log their catches accurately.

(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2006)