They were found near the tip of Cape Shiretoko on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, according to the Coast Guard.
Four of the nine were found unconscious, according to the Coast Guard. The condition of the other five is unknown.
Authorities lost contact with the crew of the boat Kazu 1 on Saturday after the crew reported water was pouring into the ship’s stern and it was beginning to sink, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said. The crew also said those on board wore life jackets and the boat was keeled at a 30-degree angle, NHK said.
The broadcaster said there were 24 passengers, including two children, and two crew members on board.
Seawater temperature in the area where the boat is believed to have foundered was a freezing 35 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit (just under 3 degrees Celsius), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency’s regional office website.
Outside normal office hours, no one in the Japan Coast Guard was immediately available for comment.
The Coast Guard received contact from the ship around 1:15 p.m. (04:15 GMT) and had dispatched five patrol boats and two planes to search, NHK said. Local media reported that waves in the area were up to ten feet high when the boat made the emergency call.
No one took calls at the office of the company that runs Kazu 1’s tours. According to its website, the ship holds 65 people. Tours around the Shiretoko area typically last around three hours, according to the tour operator.
The boat left Utoro port around 10 a.m. on Saturday and was expected to return to port at 1 p.m., NHK said. The waves had been high and fishing boats in the area had returned to port mid-morning.
The tour boat was in the Shiretoko Peninsula area in the northern part of Japan’s northernmost island and was said to be near Kashinu Falls, NHK said.