Tagawa Masuo, the captain of the Tomi Maru 53 trawler, has confessed to illegally fishing off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, and may face up to 5 years in prison if convicted, the prosecutors said in a statement.
"The captain of the Tomi Maru has pleaded guilty, so the case may receive special treatment in court, with the maximum term cut down to two-thirds," the statement said.
The Japanese vessel reportedly poached over 25 metric tons of pollock, skate, sea bass, and salmon, and the Russian side estimates the damages to be at least 8.5 million rubles ($318,000).
According to the prosecutors, similar charges will soon be leveled at Soejima Kenzi, the captain of the Yokei Maru 5, another of the three Japanese boats arrested in the Bering Sea on November 2.
The companies owning the two trawlers - Kanai Gyogyo and Yokei Suisan - will have to pay large fines, as well as double the cost of the illegal sea-catch, totaling an estimated 100 metric tons.
The captain and the owner of the third trawler, the Gyokuryu Maru, are facing disciplinary proceedings, but a criminal case may be opened against them as well.
All three trawlers will remain in Russian custody until the end of investigations.
