Taiwan and Japan were unable to reach an agreement on fishing rights in the sea near the Okinotori Atoll at a meeting on maritime affairs in Tokyo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
Taipei said it has the right to fish in the open sea surrounding the atoll, but Tokyo insisted on its claim of an exclusive economic zone that extends 200 nautical miles (370.4km) from the atoll, about 1,600km east of Taiwan, the ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan protested Japan’s seizure on April 25 of a Taiwanese fishing vessel 150 nautical miles east-southeast of the atoll and demanded the return of a ￥6 million (US$57,138 at current exchange rates) deposit paid to Japan to secure the boat’s release, the ministry said.
It said the atoll cannot not be considered an island under international law and is therefore not entitled to an exclusive economic zone.
Taiwan also said Tokyo should respect Taiwan and other nations’ navigation and fishing rights in the area before the uninhabited coral reef’s legal status is determined by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
However, Japanese officials reiterated their stance on the issue, claiming that Tokyo has exclusive rights to the exclusive economic zone.
Monday’s meeting was chaired by Association of East Asian Relations President Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and Japan Interchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi.
Chiou and Ohashi said that the two sides should work together to create a new era for bilateral relations, according to the ministry.
In spite of disagreements on the fishing rights issue, the two delegations discussed maritime rescue and cooperation in ocean research and technology, the statement said.
Both sides agreed that a similar dialogue would be held next year in Taipei, where working groups on ocean surveys and fishery cooperation would meet along with a plenary session, it added.
The meeting was the first under a new mechanism for dialogue on maritime affairs between Taiwan and Japan that was established in May.
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