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Taiwan, Japan fail to reach accord on fishing near Okinotori Atoll

ROC Central News Agency

2016/10/31 22:13:45

Taipei, Oct. 31 (CNA) Taiwan and Japan were unable to reach agreement Monday on fishing rights in the sea near Okinotori Atoll at a meeting on maritime affairs held in Tokyo, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Taiwan argued that it had the right to fish in the open sea surrounding the atoll but the Japanese insisted on their claim of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that extends 200 nautical miles from the atoll, which lies 1,600 kilometers east of Taiwan, according to a MOFA statement.

Taiwan protested Japan's seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on April 25 in the sea 150 nautical miles east-southeast of the atoll and demanded the return of a 6 million yen (US$54,000) deposit paid to Japan to secure the boat's release, according to the MOFA.

It said then the atoll could not be considered an island under international law and therefore did not generate an EEZ.

Taiwan also said Tokyo should respect Taiwan and other nations' navigation and fishing rights in the area before the uninhabited coral reef's legal status was determined by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

But Japanese officials reiterated their stance on the issue on Monday, claiming that Japan has exclusive rights to the EEZ.

Monday's meeting was jointly chaired by Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), president of Taiwan's Association of East Asian Relations, and Mitsuo Ohashi, chairman of Japan Interchange Association.

Both Chiou and Ohashi stressed that the two sides should work together to create a new era for bilateral relations, according to the MOFA.

In spite of disagreements on the fishing rights issue, the two delegations discussed maritime rescue and cooperation in ocean research and technology, the MOFA statement said.

Both sides agreed that a similar dialogue will be held next year in Taipei, where working groups on ocean surveys and fishery cooperation will meet along with a plenary session, according to MOFA.

The meeting was the first under a new mechanism for dialogue on maritime affairs between Taiwan and Japan.

(By Tai Ya-chen and S.C. Chang)
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