Chinese trawler captain Zhan Qixiong has arrived safely in Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian Province on a chartered plane after he was illegally detained by Japan.

The charter flight sent by the Chinese government arrived at Changle International Airport in Fuzhou at 4 o'clock on Saturday morning. Zhan Qixiong returned with a joint work team from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture. The illegally-detained captain of a Chinese trawler was finally united with his family after being held for two weeks.

Prosecutors in Okinawa said Friday they would let the captain go. Naha district prosecutor, Toru Suzuki, said they "believe the captain of the trawler vessel did not intentionally collide with the coast guard cutter". They also took into account the fact "that he does not have a criminal record in Japan."

The 41-year-old captain was arrested with 14 other fishermen two weeks ago after his fishing trawler collided with Japanese Coast Guard vessels near the Diaoyu Islands. The Japanese released the crew and the boat last week, but held the captain.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson had said that any form of the so-called judicial procedures taken by Japan against the captain were illegal and invalid.