The skipper and all other crew members of a Chinese fishing boat Japanese coast guard detained Saturday near the Okinawa Prefecture were released on late Sunday, said the Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka.

The ship, Qiong Yang Pu F8139, and all 13 crew members left for China from a port in Miyako island at around 9: 30 p.m. local time after the consulate submitted a bail guarantee and urged the Japanese authorities to implement releasing formalities as soon as possible.

The boat was detained for alleged unauthorized coral fishing in the Japanese exclusive economic zone near the waters of Okinawa Saturday morning.

(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2013)