A pair of swimmers visiting from mainland Japan found themselves in trouble in northern Okinawa, when an emergency call to the Nakijin Fire Station reported one of the men was missing near Motobu.

The Nago Coast Guard Office and Nago Police immediately began a search for the missing man, with the Coast Guard patrol boat Nagotsuki joining the search. About four hours into the search the coast guard vessel found the missing mainlander drifting about 2km from Ie Island.

The man told rescuers he’d been caught by a current and drifted away from his course. His companion who made the emergency call had managed to swim back to the shore on his own.

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