Japan lodged a protest after Russia shot dead a Japanese man and captured three others on a fishing boat yesterday, in the first fatality for a half-century around disputed islands. Moscow expressed regret, but blamed the boat for violating Russian waters and urged Japanese vessels to stay out.
A Russian patrol killed 35-year-old fisherman Mitsuhiro Morita as it seized a Japanese crab fishing boat in the contested waters off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
He said the Russian side towed the 4.9-tonne boat and took the three remaining fishermen to Kunashiri Island, one of four Kuril islands which Soviet troops seized at the end of World War II.
Russian officials said the fishermen strayed into Russian waters and the patrol fired a warning shot which was not aimed at anyone.
It was the first time a Japanese fisherman had been killed by Russian maritime authorities since 1956 around the islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, according to the coast guard.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso summoned the acting Russian ambassador to demand the release of the fishermen and their boat and the return of Morita's body.
"We can hardly condone what has occurred in territorial waters of the Northern Territories. We will sternly protest against this extremely grave incident in which one Japanese national lost his life," Aso told the envoy, according to a diplomat.
"Japan for its part cannot accept the seizure itself. The loss of life through shooting cannot be justified by any reason," Aso said.
He acknowledged the two sides disagreed on whether the boat was in Russian waters.
Japan's Kyodo News, quoting officials in Hokkaido, said crab fishing was banned where the shooting took place and authorities had warned companies not to defy Russian orders.
Russian Deputy Ambassador Mikhail Galuzin told reporters that the fishing vessel appeared to have charged at the Russian boat, prompting warning shots.
"They were not aiming [to kill]," Galuzin said.
Mikhail Shevchenko, deputy head of the Border Guards Service division on Sakhalin island in the Russian Far East, earlier said the fisherman was felled by warning shots as he scrambled to bring in fishing equipment.
The incident came one day after Japan marked the anniversary of then Emperor Hirohito's Aug. 15, 1945 surrender in World War II. Soviet troops advanced on four Japanese-ruled Kuril islands on Aug. 18, 1945 despite Japan's defeat and expelled the Japanese residents.
The two nations have yet to sign a peace treaty formally ending World War II, with a series of talks since the collapse of the Soviet Union making no headway.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned