China demands Japan apology as boat captain returns

Zhan Qixiong was arrested earlier this month after his trawler collided with two Japanese patrol vessels near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The incident caused the biggest row between the two countries for years. After his release, Beijing reiterated its claim to the islands, calling it "indisputable".

Mr Qixiong left Okinawa on Friday evening on a specially chartered plane sent by the government of China. After landing at Fuzhou Airport in Fujian Province, he said he was thankful to be free and repeated his claim of innocence. "The Diaoyutai Islands are a part of China. I went there to fish. That's legal," said the fisherman.

"Those people grabbed me - that was illegal," he said. "I'm thankful to the country, the party, and all the Chinese people for the care they showed me."

Following his release, China's government demanded an apology and compensation from Tokyo. "This was an action that gravely violated Chinese sovereignty and the human rights of a Chinese citizen, and the Chinese government strongly protests," said a foreign ministry statement. "It is unlawful and invalid for Japan to detain and investigate the boat captain and to take any legal measures against him."

Prosecutors in Japan said their decision to release the captain was based on the deepening rift between Beijing and Tokyo.

They said they did not perceive any premeditated intent to damage the patrol boats and therefore had decided that further investigation while keeping the captain in custody would not be appropriate, considering the impact on relations with China.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the aim was to promote "mutually beneficial" ties with China.

"Prosecutors came to their judgment in compliance with their duty on the basis of Japanese domestic law. In any case, China and Japan are important neighbours," said Mr Kan, who was attending the UN General Assembly in New York.

The release came after four Japanese were detained in China on suspicion of illegally filming in a military area.

A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said its embassy in Beijing had received confirmation that the four were being held, but he said he did not want to speculate whether it was linked to Japan's detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain.

Officials said the four men were employees of a Japanese construction company who were in China to bid for a project to dispose of chemical weapons from World War II.

Tensions had escalated since Japan detained the Chinese captain.

Beijing cut off ministerial-level contacts between the two countries and thousands of Chinese tourists pulled out of trips to Japan. Concerts by a Japan's top boy band SMAP due to take place in Shanghai were cancelled by the Chinese organisers.

Earlier this week Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that Japan bore full responsibility for the situation and demanded the immediate release of the captain.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the two sides to settle the issue before it had a long-term impact on the region.

The Japanese coastguard arrested Zhan Qixiong on 8 September after his trawler collided with two of their patrol boats in an area claimed by both countries, near uninhabited islands which may have oil and gas deposits.

Japanese prosecutors had until next Wednesday to decide whether or not to charge the man.