Japan Press Weekly

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2022 June 15 - 21 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP Kami demands safe operations of Japanese fishing boats in waters around disputed islands off Hokkaido

The Russian Foreign Ministry has suspended the Japan-Russia agreement on the safety of crewmembers fishing in waters around the disputed four islands off Hokkaido. Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kami Tomoko on June 16 demanded that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Fisheries Agency guarantee and support the safe operations of Japanese fishing boats.

The Japanese government provides about 150 million yen annually in assistance to the Sakhalin State which administers the four islands, but the government is currently freezing its financial assistance as an economic sanction against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian government claimed that the safe operation of Japanese fishing boats is inseparable from the financial assistance to the State of Sakhalin and suspended the agreement.

Local fishermen are worried if they can safely operate fisheries.

Kami told the government to ensure safe fishing operations and provide financial aid to fishermen who become unable to go out to fish in safety.