In a later update on Sunday, NHK said that rescuers found three more people, although their condition remains unknown.
The KAZU 1 cruise boat sent a distress signal on Saturday, after it left the Utoro port on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands. The boat was carrying 24 passengers, including two children, and two crew members.
A helicopter and patrol vessels were sent to the boat’s suspected location, but rescuers were unable to find the vessel.