Japan dispatched diplomats Thursday to negotiate the release of
three fishermen detained by Russia after a high-seas shooting
killed a fellow crew member, and Tokyo officials said the incident
could affect ties with Moscow.
A Russian patrol boat opened fire on their vessel the day
before, killing one fisherman, in the latest flare up in a
60-year-old territorial row over a series of islands off the
northeast coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island.
Russia seized the boat, accused the crew of illegal fishing and
took the three survivors to Russia for further questioning.
Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency reported that the three were
charged with poaching, smuggling and border violations, quoting
officials of the Russian Prosecutor's Office. The crew, detained at
the Dom Druzhby, or House of Friendship, in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, has
been refusing to give evidence to prosecutors, the agency said.
Investigation results will be announced as early as Saturday,
Japanese media quoted another Russian news agency, Interfax, as
saying.
Japan's Foreign Ministry on Thursday pressed again for their
immediate release. It also protested Russia's response to the
alleged poaching as too extreme and demanded that the officials
responsible for the shooting be punished.
"We don't think the use of force is acceptable in those
circumstances," Foreign Ministry spokesman Noriyuki Shikata said.
"If there is not good cooperation obtained from the Russian side,
this could negatively affect bilateral relations."
Russian officials said the boat ignored orders to stop, was
maneuvering dangerously and tried to ram a Russian dinghy. The
fisherman was mistakenly killed by a warning shot as he rushed to
recover fishing equipment aboard the fishing boat, they said.
A group of Japanese diplomats was dispatched Thursday to
Hokkaido to win the release of the detained crew members and their
seized boat, and to receive the body, Shikata said. They are
expected to go to nearby islands occupied by Russia to negotiate
with Russian authorities.
The Foreign Ministry said later in a statement the diplomats
included Senior Vice Foreign Minister Yasunori Shiozaki.
Japanese officials have not yet had direct contact with the
three detained fishermen. Shikata said it was unclear when they
might be released.
"We are strongly demanding Russia hand over the body, the crew
members and the ship," Deputy Cabinet Secretary Seiji Suzuki said.
"The waters are part of Japanese territory and (the shooting) was
unacceptable no matter what the reasons."
The incident happened in waters around four disputed islands -
called the Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan -
that were seized by the Soviet army near World War II's end.
Tokyo demands their return, and the dispute has blocked a treaty
formally ending wartime hostilities.
In the latest instance, each country claims the fishing boat was
in its own territorial waters at the time of the shooting.
The disputed islands are surrounded by rich fishing waters and
are believed to have promising offshore oil and natural gas
reserves, as well as gold and silver deposits.
Russian authorities have seized dozens of Japanese boats and
injured several fishermen over the years, but this was the first
shooting death of a Japanese in the region since October 1956,
Coast Guard officials said.
(Chinadaily.com via agencies August 18, 2006)
