President Ma Ying-jeou says that Taiwan will defend the right of its fishermen to operate in international waters. He was speaking Wednesday during a meeting on Japan’s recent seizure of a Taiwanese fishing boat.
A Japanese patrol boat seized the Taiwanese fishing vessel “Tung Sheng Chi 16” on Sunday. At the time, the boat was some 150 nautical miles off the uninhabited Japanese atoll of Okinotorishima. Japanese authorities asked for a security deposit for the crew’s return.
Ma said that Okinotorishima has an area of less than 10 square meters. He said that it does not qualify as an island, and Japan cannot claim sovereignty over the surrounding waters. Ma said the boat’s crew was acting within its rights when fishing in international waters around the atoll, and that Japan’s seizure of the boat was illegal.
Foreign Minister David Lin, who also attended the meeting, said that Japan should respect the right of fishermen from other countries to fish in the area. He also said that crew members’ families have paid the security deposit, but this does not mean that Taiwan recognizes Japanese sovereignty over the area.