President Ma Ying-jeou has repeated Taiwan’s stance that Japan’s Okinotori reefs are an atoll with no economic zone around it. He also said Taiwan will continue to escort its fishing boats in international waters.
A Japanese patrol boat seized a Taiwanese fishing boat two weeks ago 150 nautical miles off the unmanned atoll, which is under Japanese administration. Japanese officials handcuffed and strip-searched the captain, and demanded a security deposit of 6 million yen (around US$55,000) for the crew’s release.
In his meeting with visiting Japanese diplomat Nobuo Kishi, Ma said the act has angered Taiwan’s public, and Taiwan strongly protests Japan’s illegal use of force outside its jurisdiction.
“Okinotori’s surface area is not even one eighth of this room [that we are sitting in], and its two reefs are only 16 centimeters above sea level,"said Ma.
"It has no freshwater to sustain either human habitation or economic life. Therefore, according to article 121 item three of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, [Japan] cannot claim its surrounding waters as an exclusive economic zone.”
Ma said the government has sent patrol boats to escort Taiwanese fishing boats and ensure their right to fish in international waters. He said Taiwan hopes to resolve the matter peacefully, in accordance with international laws.
Ma also proposed to take the issue to the international court of arbitration if Taiwan and Japan cannot reach an agreement. Nobuo has declined to comment.