Japan could not agree with Russia on fishing near Kunashir

Japanese fishermen were unable to begin the traditional fishing for greenlings off the island of Kunashir in the southern part of the Kuril Islands, since the country’s authorities did not agree on this with Russia, reported NHK TV channel.

The greenling fishery begins in mid-September, but this year eight local fishing vessels are fishing in Japanese waters, receiving partial compensation from the government. It is also likely that Japanese fishermen will not be able to begin harvesting octopus off the Habomai Islands in October.

In June 2022 Russia suspended the validity of the agreement on the fishing of marine resources from 1998, because Tokyo is delaying the signing of the annual executive document on the provision of technical assistance to Sakhalin.

This agreement provided for cooperation “for the purpose of harvesting living resources by Japanese fishing vessels” in the sea area limited by straight geodetic lines sequentially connecting points with coordinates near the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai. The agreement will be suspended until Japan fulfills its financial obligations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said at the time.

At the end of March 2022, Russia announced the termination of negotiations with Japan on concluding a peace treaty due to unilateral sanctions imposed by Tokyo against the background of the military operation of Russian troops in Ukraine. In January 2023, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow could not agree on consultations on Japanese fishermen’s fisheries due to Tokyo’s sanctions. In February she called The issue of a peace treaty with Japan is closed.

Following the Second World War, the USSR and Japan did not conclude a peace treaty due to the dispute over the South Kuril Islands. It was also not concluded between modern Russia and the Japanese authorities. According to Tokyo’s position, the Russian Federation must transfer to Japan the four southern islands of the Kuril chain (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai Islands). Moscow recognizes the 1956 USSR declaration, which talks about the possibility of transferring two islands (Habomai and Shikotan) after the conclusion of a peace treaty.