Japan has criticized Russia for its stance on fishing near the Kuril Islands, calling it "unacceptable".

Japan on Monday criticized Russia for refusing to agree to fisheries consultations  near the Kuril Islands.  Japanese Chief of Staff Hirokazu Matsuno called the decision "unacceptable" and told a press conference: "We consider the position of the Russian side to be unacceptable and  are considering the possibility of resuming activities under the relevant agreement". 

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 On March 24, Tokyo  reached an agreement with Moscow  for  salmon and trout fishing by Japanese fishermen in a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. Both Russia and Japan  had undisputed access to commercial fisheries within 200 miles of their respective EEZs under an agreement  signed in 1984. However, when Russia ordered a special military operation in neighboring Ukraine, it halted the consultations due to Japan's stance and stance. Loyalty to America to impose sanctions on  Moscow.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a conference that Moscow  informed Tokyo on Jan. 29 that it "cannot accept consultations on fisheries in Russian territorial waters due to anti-Russian restrictions." 

 

 

 Russia is absolutely against "complaints from the Japanese side regarding this decision"; has continued. 

The question of the survival of Japanese fishermen At a press conference in January, Japan's top cabinet secretary Matsuno said that the Japanese government viewed Russia's position on  the fisheries negotiations as completely unacceptable unilaterally. "It is unacceptable that the Russian side is taking such a step. We urge Russia to respond to the intergovernmental consultations as soon as possible so that we can start fishing soon," he  stressed.

Later, during a session of the budget committee of the lower house of the Japanese parliament, Takako Suzuki, minister of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said that "the fisheries safety agreement is a matter of survival for Japanese fishermen." that Russia respects the Agreement on Cooperation in Fisheries Operations signed by both sides in 1998.  Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi called the disputed Kuril Islands "an integral part of the country, not  of Russia". Japan's position on the long-disputed territory remains unchanged, adding that the islands are "originally Japanese".

The geopolitical struggle between Russia and Japan over the Kuril Islands dates back to World War II. After the end of the war, the then Soviet Union occupied the Kuril Islands, which Tokyo considered Japanese territory and which it called the Northern Territories.