On April 25 there were vessels that were searching for missing people aboard the sunken Kazu I tour boat. Sayuri Ide Russia reported on May 10 that the body of a woman had been found on the coast of western Kunashiri Island, part of the disputed Northern Territories, according to Japan Coast Guard officials.
The Coast Guard is looking into the possibility that the woman was aboard the Kazu I tour boat that sank off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido on April 23. There were twenty-six people aboard, including crew members and passengers.
Fourteen bodies have been recovered while 12 people are missing.
The body was found on May 6 before being transported to a hospital in the Furukamappu district of the island, according to the 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.
The woman had no possessions that could reveal her identity.
The Coast Guard is trying to determine if she was one of the passengers through various means, including diplomatic channels with Russia.
The Northern Territories are islands off the coast of Hokkaido, seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II and claimed by Tokyo.
The Coast Guard has been searching for areas around Kunashiri Island.