"We have confirmed the deaths of all 10 people" who had been retrieved so far, a coastguard spokesman told AFP.

In a statement, the coast guard added that seven men and three women had been found so far.

The Kazu I sightseeing boat sent a distress signal on Saturday afternoon after it began taking on water off the remote northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaido.

A search and rescue (SAR) operation began immediately, but hopes soon began to fade for the 26 people on board, which included two children and two crew members, because of the region’s cold temperatures.

The boat had set out on Saturday morning on a sightseeing cruise that is popular along Shiretoko Peninsula, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site for its pristine natural environment and diverse wildlife.

The tour went ahead despite high winds and waves that reportedly prompted some local fishing boats to return to shore to avoid the worsening conditions.

"It was clear that the conditions at sea would worsen, so I told them not to go," a local tour boat operator told national broadcaster NHK. "But they did anyway. I told the captain not to."

The boat issued a distress call at around 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, with coast guard helicopters and vessels arriving in the area several hours later.

By nightfall, as the air temperature dropped to around zero degrees Celsius, there was no sign of either the boat or those aboard, though the search continued overnight with infrared and thermal equipment.

Local police and Self Defense Forces personnel joined the rescue operation, with the first four bodies located early on Sunday and six more recovered in the following hours.

Some were found in the water, while others were spotted along the rugged shoreline, where images from NHK showed rescue workers combing the coast as waves crashed onto the shore.

Icy shores

Images released by the coast guard showed rescuers crouched in a crevasse along the rocky shoreline inspecting an area, as well as items clearly marked Kazu I washed up on a beach, with ice still visible on the shore.

Those recovered have been taken to hospitals, and NHK showed images of at least one body being transferred from a helicopter to an ambulance while officials held up a blanket to shield their identity.

Shiretoko Peninsula was designated a World Heritage Site in 2005. It is well known for its unique wildlife, including the endangered Steller sea lion, migratory birds and brown bears.

Sightseeing boat trips in the area are popular for visitors hoping to spot whales, birds and other wildlife, as well as drift ice in the winter.

Japan's borders remain closed to tourists because of COVID-19 rules, so sightseeing in the country is effectively limited to Japanese citizens and foreign residents.

Kazu I ran aground in shallow water in June last year, becoming stranded with 21 passengers and two crew members on board, according to Japanese media. The boat was able to leave the shallows on its own and returned to the port, but police investigated its captain for endangering traffic by negligence in the conduct of business.

The Japanese coast guard has been involved in a variety of SAR missions around the archipelago, including last November’s successful discovery of a 69-year-old man who spent 22 hours drifting in open water off southwestern Kagoshima.

In September 2020, a cargo ship with 43 crew members onboard sunk after it was caught in a typhoon off Japan's southwestern coast.

Two survivors were rescued, while a third crew member was found unresponsive and declared dead. The search operation was called off a week later.

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