TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan and Japan have agreed on rules for fishing in disputed waters at the 11th annual meeting on the issue in Tokyo earlier this week.
The ministry said on Friday that both sides reached an agreement on fishing in waters listed under the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement. Both agreed that Taiwan’s fishing vessels will not pass east of the 124th meridian east line that runs through Okinawa’s Yaeyama District, about 260 kilometers west of Taipei.
The ministry said “administrative sanctions” would be imposed if fishing vessels repeatedly crossed this line without specifying what this would entail. Both also agreed that Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency would help fishers establish self-regulation measures to prevent this from happening, the ministry said.
Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Secretary-General Fan Chen-kuo (范振國) led Taiwan's delegation to Tokyo. Members of the foreign ministry, Fisheries Agency, Coast Guard, and regional fishing associations also joined the meeting.
The Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement was signed in 2013 to solve disputes caused by Taiwan and Japan’s overlapping claims to the Diaoyutai Islands. Meetings to discuss fishing issues under the agreement rotate between Taipei and Tokyo each year.
Area within three markers listed under the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement.