TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Japanese Coast Guard on Friday (Aug. 16) rescued a Mexican national stranded on the largest of the Diaoyutai Islands, which are known as the Senkakau Islands in Japanese. 

During interrogation, the Mexican man told Japanese Coast Guard officers that he had planned to reach Taiwan with the canoe he was piloting, reported UDN. The man was discovered waving for help by a Japanese patrol boat just after 1:30 p.m. (Taiwan time). The coast guard called for a helicopter to assist with his rescue. 

A report by the Sankei Shimbun indicated that a canoe was taken from Yonaguni Island several days before the man’s discovery, but it was not initially reported to police. Yonaguni Island, part of Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, is a little over 110 kilometers from Yilan on Taiwan’s east coast. 

It is assumed that the man departed Yonaguni in the canoe and became disoriented, before drifting north and ending up on the largest of the five islands, known as Diaoyutai in Mandarin and Uotsuri Island in Japanese. Reports said the man was attempting to leave Japan illegally to bypass formal immigration procedures and that he was stranded on the island for a couple of days before his rescue.

The Diaoyutai Islands are a cluster of islands claimed by Taiwan, Japan, and China. They are located approximately 165 kilometers north of Japan’s Ishigaki Island, and about 190 kilometers northeast of Taiwan’s Keelung. The islands are currently administered by Japan and are forbidden to the public.