Taiwan negotiating with Japan on buffer zone in disputed waters
ROC Central News Agency
2013/05/08 14:58:03
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan will continue to negotiate with Japan on issues such as establishing a buffer zone near an area in the East China Sea covered by a bilateral fishing pact and setting up fishing regulations for the area, an official said Wednesday.
During the first meeting of the Taiwan-Japan fishing commission a day earlier, representatives from Taiwanese fishermen's associations proposed a buffer zone around the area covered by the pact on fishing rights specifically the area around the Diaoyutai Islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan, the foreign affairs official said.
But the Japanese side said that 'the time is not ripe' for moving to that issue, the official said.
Noting that the buffer zone was just one of several issues broached in the closed-door meeting, the official said Taiwan will continue to bring up the issue with Japan.
Taiwanese fishermen hope for a buffer zone that will allow them to enter waters just outside the area covered by the agreement to collect their fishing gear if it drifts outside the area by accident, he added.
The more urgent issues between the two sides include setting up fishing regulations that will apply to fishing rights in the two countries' overlapping territories, as well as how to deal with disputes between Taiwanese and Japanese fishermen, the official said.
Taiwanese and Japanese fishermen use different fishing techniques, so it is necessary to establish regulations to ensure that they can operate in the same area without confrontation, he went on.
Tuesday's meeting followed the April 10 signing of the historic fishing pact. The establishment of the fishing commission was part of the agreement.
The Taiwanese members of the commission are Chang Jen-joe, a counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Fisheries Agency Director-General James Sha, the ministry said.
Kenichi Okada, secretary-general of the Interchange Association's Taipei Office, and Michihiko Komatsu, head of the Tokyo-based association's general affairs section, are the Japanese members of the commission, it added.
The association represents Japanese interests in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.
The commission is expected to hold a second meeting later this year, the official added.
Taiwan's delegation to Tuesday's meeting was led by Chang and included officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Fisheries Agency and the Coast Guard Administration. Representatives of Taiwanese fishermen associations also attended.
Japan's delegation was headed by Okada and also consisted of officials from Japan's fishery, foreign affairs and maritime patrol agencies. Representatives from a fishing committee from Okinawa Prefecture were also in attendance.
The fishing agreement, which opened waters near the Diaoyutai Islands to Taiwanese fishermen, was concluded after on-and-off negotiations that lasted for nearly 17 years.
Under the terms of the agreement, Taiwanese and Japanese boats can operate freely in a 74,300-square-kilometer area around the Diaoyutais, Taiwan's Fisheries Agency said.
That gives Taiwanese fishermen an additional 4,530 square kilometers in which they can operate free of harassment by Japanese authorities, the agency said.
The Diaoyutais, some 100 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan, have been under Japan's administrative control since 1972 but are also claimed by Taiwan and China.
The surrounding waters have long been traditional fishing grounds for Taiwanese fishermen, but they are routinely chased away from the area by the Japanese authorities when they venture too close to what Japan sees as its territorial waters.
Remaining issues related to fishing in waters around the Diaoyutais will be addressed by the commission, including fishing in waters within 12 nautical miles of the island group, the ministry said.
(By Elaine Hou)
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