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Coast guard officials searched the office of a Japanese tour boat operator yesterday as part of a criminal investigation into suspicions that professional negligence caused the sinking of a vessel carrying 26 people in a national park last month. The Kazu 1 sightseeing boat started the tour in Shiretoko National Park on the northeastern side of Hokkaido, on April 23 despite forecast rough seas and warnings from other tour operators. It made a distress call that afternoon saying it was sinking.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to talk with his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chanocha about economic matters, upheaval in Myanmar and Russia’s war in Ukraine when they meet yesterday in the middle of his five-nation overseas tour. Kishida arrived in Thailand on Sunday after visits to Indonesia and Vietnam. He is scheduled to go to Italy and the United Kingdom after Thailand.