Russia Detains Japanese Fishing Vessel Again in Kuril Islands Waters... "Unreported Catch Found"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] On the 15th, the Russian Border Guard seized a Japanese fishing vessel operating near the Kuril Islands. This comes just one month after five Japanese fishing vessels were seized on the 17th of last month, fined, and repatriated, with another Japanese vessel again seized in the same waters. The Japanese government is reportedly demanding the early return of the vessel and fishermen from the Russian government.

According to NHK, on the evening of the 15th, the Russian Border Guard seized one vessel belonging to the Fisheries Cooperative Association of Nemuro City, Hokkaido, while it was fishing near the Kuril Islands. NHK reported that the Russian Border Guard explained the reason for the seizure, stating, "Unreported catches were found, and necessary procedures were followed." Six Japanese fishermen were aboard the seized vessel.

The Japanese government is demanding the early repatriation of its vessel and fishermen from Russia. At a regular press conference on the 16th, Yoshihide Suga, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, said, "There are no health issues with the six (seized fishermen)," and added, "We are strongly demanding that the crew and vessel be allowed to return home early."

The Russian Border Guard also seized five Japanese fishing vessels on the 17th of last month in the Kuril Islands waters for violating catch quotas, fined them, and repatriated them. The 24 crew members detained along with the five vessels paid a fine of 6.4 million rubles (approximately 119.68 million KRW) and were released. After the vessel detentions, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately protested to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and demanded the early return of the five vessels from a humanitarian perspective. Subsequently, Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan's Foreign Minister, headed to Moscow to hold talks with Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister. The Russian side accepted Japan's request for early repatriation and decided to release the Japanese crew members.

Meanwhile, Japan and Russia signed a safety fishing agreement in 1998 due to ongoing incidents of Russian seizure of Japanese fishing vessels in the waters surrounding the four Kuril Islands, which are disputed territories. The safety fishing conditions are determined through annual negotiations, and as of last year, the catch quotas were 216 tons of octopus, 955 tons of pollock, and 777 tons of Atka mackerel, among others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.