Taiwan, Japan agree to modify fishing pact for disputed East China Sea islands
Tokyo and Taipei extend territory and time slots for trawlers operating in zone also claimed by Beijing in diplomatic move indicating continuing dialogue
Japan and Taiwan have agreed to amend fishing regulations in a landmark fisheries pact covering waters off a cluster of Taiwan-claimed, Japan-administered islands in the East China Sea, the Foreign Ministry in Taipei said on Saturday.
The ministry said in a statement that the Taiwan-Japan joint fishery committee reached the agreement on Friday after three days of talks in Tokyo.
Taiwan and Japan signed a bilateral fisheries pact in April 2013 to allow reciprocal fishing in what Japan regards as its exclusive economic zone near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, known as the Tiaoyutai in Taiwan and the Diaoyus in China, which also claim them.
The pact covers three fishing zones, including a “special cooperation zone,” where each side manages its own fishing boats.
Under the modified plan, Japanese and Taiwanese trawlers operating in the inverted triangle area north of the Yaeyama Islands, the southernmost tip of the Ryukyu archipelago, and the “special cooperation zone” will be allowed more time slots and “more proper” distance.
There is also an area of smaller inverted triangle zones in the south where Taiwanese fishing trawlers can operate and where the fish stock is bountiful.