SKIPPER HELD: The master of a Chinese fishing boat that collided with Japanese patrol vessels near disputed islands could stand trial in the latest territorial spat between the neighbours. That likelihood increased as the Japanese Coast Guard handed over Zhan Qixiong, 41, to prosecutors for further investigation to decide whether to officially charge him in the case. The collisions happened in Japanese territorial waters off the northwestern coast of Japan’s Kuba Island, just north of disputed islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. The islands, about 120 miles east of Taiwan, are controlled by Japan but are claimed by China and Taiwan. Territorial disputes have been a disruptive undercurrent in Japan-China relations. As the robust Chinese economy’s demand for resources grows, China’s commercial ships are venturing farther from shore and its more powerful navy is enforcing claims in disputed waters. – AP