Eight Taiwanese fishers from Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳) are expected to be released soon after an agreement was reached yesterday between the Taiwanese and Japanese authorities after the fishers’ boat was boarded and detained by Japan Coast Guard officers for allegedly entering the coastal waters off Japan’s Yonaguni Island.
The Yilan-registered Fu Shen fishing vessel was intercepted by a Japan Coast Guard vessel at about 4pm on Sunday.
Taiwan Fisheries Agency officials yesterday said that an agreement had been reached following talks between both countries’ foreign affairs representatives.
Photo courtesy of a reader
The fishers would be released soon after the fishing vessel’s owner paid a ￥1.5 million (US$9,749) fine, the agency said.
The talks were conducted by officials from the Naha branch office of Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Japan. Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, which administers its southern Yaeyama Islands, including Yonaguni Island.
Suao Fishermen’s Association director Chen Chun-sheng (陳春生), said there needs to be verification on whether the boat was fishing within Japan’s coastal waters, or just passing through with the “right of innocent passage,” which is reserved for vessels moving through territorial waters in a manner that does not threaten the security of the coastal state.
If it was passing, “we must demand that our government uphold the rights of Taiwanese fishers, and request that the Japanese side conduct a thorough investigation,” he said.
“However, if the Fu Shen did engage in illegal fishing, then let us apply the existing regulations and the normal procedures to handle this matter. Our association is to work together with Taiwan’s foreign affairs office in Naha City to secure their release, to help the crew members and the boat to return home safely,” Chen said.
The Fu Shen left Nanfangao Harbor (南方澳漁港) at about 10pm on Saturday, and was about 40 nautical miles (74km) off Suao when it was approached by the Japan Coast Guard vessel, Chen said, adding that the dispute might be over a difference of opinion on whether the boat had entered the 12 nautical miles zone that marks Japan’s territorial waters, as Yonaguni Island lies 58 nautical miles off Taiwan’s Yilan County.
The Fu Shen was seen illegally fishing inside Japan’s territorial waters, the Japan Coast Guard said.
After the crew members ignored a request to stop, Japan Coast Guard officers boarded the boat to detain the crew members, it added.
The detained crew members were taken to Ishigaki Island, the commercial hub of the Yaeyama Islands, while an investigation was conducted, the Japanese authorities said.
The Coast Guard Administration has dispatched a Yilan-class patrol vessel to the Yaeyama Islands to repatriate the detained boat and the Taiwanese crew.
Additional reporting by Chen Chia-yi
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS