Japan Filed Applications at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the Arrested Japanese Fishing Vessels

July 10, 2007

Japanese fishing vessels, the 88th Hoshinmaru and the 53rd Tomimaru, were arrested by the Russian authorities in early June and early November last year respectively off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s 200 nautical-mile zone, and these vessels and the crew of the Hoshinmaru have not been released to date.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates the obligation to release promptly “arrested vessels and their crew upon the posting of reasonable bond or other security” when the arrests occurred in the exclusive economic zone. On July 6, the Government of Japan submitted to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany, Applications for the cases of the Hoshinmaru and the Tomimaru, to urge the Russian Federation to fulfill its obligation under international law.

It is expected that this application will restrain the recent tendency that the detention of Japanese fishing vessels are prolonged and will be effective in preventing a recurrence.

The Applications to the Tribunal are aimed at urging implementation of the procedures to promptly release the arrested fishing vessels and their crew upon the posting of reasonable bond or other security, and are not intended to question the Russian authorities’ measures against illegal operations or the arrests of the vessels themselves. To prevent the recurrence of arrests of Japanese fishing vessels, it is important above all to ensure that they are not engaged in illegal fishing. On this point, the Government of Japan intends to continue instructing thoroughly the fishermen to abide by the relevant laws and regulations.

(END)