Taiwan, Japan reach consensus on fishing rules

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan–Japan Relations Association and the Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association concluded the 12th Taiwan–Japan Fisheries Commission meeting in Yilan last week, which ran from Tuesday to Thursday. Lin Yu-hui (林郁慧), deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan–Japan Relations Association, headed the Taiwanese delegation, and Wang Mao-cheng (王茂城), director-general of the Fisheries Agency, served as chief negotiator, per the foreign ministry. Representatives from the Ocean Affairs Council, Coast Guard Administration, and local fishermen’s associations also attended. The two sides said the 2025 fishing vessel operating rules for a triangular area north of the Yaeyama Islands were positive and reached consensus on this year’s operating rules. They agreed to revise an industry self-regulation code and conduct outreach to fishers before the fishing season to prevent fishing gear from drifting east of certain coordinates. Taiwan also requested that talks about other ...