Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- The detained captain of a Chinese trawler was released by Japan and returned to his home country, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Zhan Qixiong, who had been held by Japanese authorities since September 8, arrived safely early Saturday morning in Fuzhou, the capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, according to Xinhua. The captain left Japan with officials from China's Foreign and Agriculture ministries. "We decided to suspend the charges in consideration of the Japan-China relationship," said the Japanese prosecutor in the case. In China, the captain's wife, Chen Tingting, said she was thrilled.
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NEW: The captain has arrived in China
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China had warned of "consequences" if he was not freed
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Four Japanese nationals were arrested in China on Friday
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He was accused of obstructing @placeholder public officers while they performed their duties.
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Word of his release quickly followed the arrest of four @placeholder nationals in China.
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The four are being investigated for entering a military zone without authorization and videotaping military targets, @placeholder state media said.
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Neither country linked the captain's case with the arrest of the four @placeholder nationals, however.
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Japan's foreign ministry officials said Friday that @placeholder had informed them of the arrests, but they had no information about any charges or why the Japanese nationals had been detained.
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Japan's foreign ministry officials said Friday that China had informed them of the arrests, but they had no information about any charges or why the @placeholder nationals had been detained.