Japan's exclusive economic zones:
  Japan's EEZ (includes the disputed Okinotorishima EEZ, the lowermost purple near-circle)
  Joint regime with the Republic of Korea
  EEZ claimed by Japan but also claimed by other nations

Japan has the eighth-largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the world.[1] The total area of Japan is about 380 thousand km2.[2] Japan's EEZ area is vast and the territorial waters (including the Seto Inland Sea) and EEZ together is about 4.47 million km2.[3]

Geography

Japan EEZ official map 2016
Relief map of the seabed near Japan and the Japanese islands

The Japanese Archipelago consists of about 6,852 islands. The Exclusive Economic Zone of Japan includes:

EEZ Areas of Japan[4]
Region EEZ Area (km2) EEZ Area (sq mi)
Ryukyu Islands 1,394,676 538,487
Pacific Ocean (Japan) 1,162,334 448,780
Nanpō Islands 862,782 333,122
Sea of Japan 630,721 243,523
Minami-Tori-shima 428,875 165,590
Sea of Okhotsk 235 91
Daitō Islands 44 17
Senkaku Islands 7 2.7
Total[5] 4,479,674 1,729,612

History

In the 18th century, Dutch law scholar Cornelius van Bynkershoek wrote in his book "De Dominio Maris Dissertatio" (1702) that the coastal states control the waters within the range of cannons carried on warships of the time. This theory was supported by many countries, and the idea of having three nautical miles from the coastline as the territorial sea was established.

In the 20th century, there have emerged examples of extending the scope of territorial waters, or claiming similar rights in areas beyond the territorial waters. These claims were advocated by Dr. Pardeau, UN Ambassador of the Republic of Malta, at the Second United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea in 1967. However, Japan, which was an advanced pelagic fishing country, took an opposing position because "wide open seas and narrow territorial waters" matched their national interests at the time.

But later, exploiting the absence of a Japanese EEZ, neighboring countries such as South and North Korea, China and Soviet Union entered the offshore fishing industry and began operating off the coast of Shimane and Tottori Prefectures, making the situation disadvantageous to Japan.[6][7] Therefore, in 1982, Japan supported the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) when it was created at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and it came into effect in 1994.[8] The treaty gives Japan the right to explore and develop marine and non-living resources such as mineral resources, within 200 nautical miles of their coastline, and at the same time she is obligated to manage them and prevent marine pollution.[9] The Japanese government signed UNCLOS in February 1983 and Part XI in July 1994.[10] The Convention and Part XI were ratified by the Diet in June 1996.[10]

Law Enforcement and Security

Japan has contributed to three UNCLOS organizations such as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and the International Seabed Authority (ISA).[11]

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) are responsible for protecting the EEZ of Japan. As an island nation, dependent on maritime trade for the majority of its resources, including food and raw materials, maritime operations are a very important aspect of Japanese defense policy. On 30 June 2022, the Japan Ministry of Defense announced the construction of 12 offshore patrol vessel (OPV) by Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) for the JMSDF. The purpose of this OPV program is to provide enhanced maritime security by boosting JMSDF patrol activities. These vessels are highly automated and configurable to meet a wide range of missions involving “enhanced steady-state intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in the waters around Japan.” Under the contract, JMU is charged with delivering the 12 vessels to the JMSDF from fiscal year 2023, which starts on April 1, 2023.[12][13]

The exclusive economic zone only recognizes the economic, scientific and environmental jurisdiction of the coastal countries and entry of a foreign fishing vessel into the EEZ is not automatically illegal. With regard to the above, a law (fishing sovereignty law, EEZ Fisheries Law) concerning the exercise of sovereign rights regarding fisheries, etc. in the exclusive economic zone (in Japanese) that regulates fisheries of foreigners within the exclusive economic zone of Japan was established on 14 June 1996.[14]

Under the law, fines of 30 million yen or less will be imposed on foreign vessels which conducted unauthorized operation or operation on prohibited waters in the EEZ. It is also a violation of the above law when a foreign fishing vessel escapes by avoiding on-site inspections by fishery supervisor/fishing supervisors on board a fisheries patrol boat (漁業取締船) of the Fisheries Agency, or by the JCG. In this case, a fine of 3 million yen or less will be imposed. Also, the collateral for early release under the bond system is set to the same amount as the fine, and an additional collateral of 6 million yen per kg of illegal coral is set for illegal coral collection.

Increased grey-zone challenges from Japan's neighbors have resulted in greater dependence on the JCG, providing a response that can be more easily resolved diplomatically, and able to justify politically, rather than with an overt military response by the JMSDF.[15][16][17]

Response to foreign ballistic missiles

Anti-ballistic missiles for defense are very expensive, costing 500 million to 2 billion yen per shot. So the launched ballistic missiles are ignored when it is known by radar that they will land on where damage to Japanese nationals and assets are not expected. Also, the nationwide warning system, (J-Alert) will only issue a warning if it is determined that the missile will enter into Japanese territory or waters. J-Alert will not be used when the missile will fall somewhere in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

On August 31, 2022, The Japan Ministry of Defense announced that JMSDF will operate two "Aegis system equipped ships" (イージス・システム搭載艦 in Japanese) to replace the earlier plan of Aegis Ashore installations, commissioning one by the end of fiscal year 2027, and the other by the end of FY2028. The budget for design and other related expenses are to be submitted in the form of “item requests”, without specific amounts, and the initial procurement of the lead items are expected to clear legislation by FY2023. Construction is to begin in the following year of FY2024. At 20,000 tons each, both vessels will be the largest surface combatant warships operated by the JMSDF.[18][19][20][21]

Disputes

Japan has disputes over its EEZ boundaries with all its Asian neighbors (China, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan), including its claim of an EEZ around Okinotorishima. The above, and relevant maps at the Sea Around Us Project,[22][23][24] both indicate Japan's claimed boundaries. The Kuril Islands dispute with Russia has been ongoing since the end of World War 2 with the former Soviet Union. On March 7, 2022, Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida declared that the southern Kurils are "a territory peculiar to Japan, a territory in which Japan has sovereignty."[25]

Japan also refers to various categories of "shipping area" – Smooth Water Area, Coasting Area, Major or Greater Coasting Area, Ocean Going Area – but it is unclear whether these are intended to have any territorial or economic implications.

Events

Chinese fired ballistic missiles

On 4 August 2022, during military exercises, five ballistic missiles launched by China fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone according to the Japanese government.[26] They landed southwest of Hateruma, close to Taiwan.[27] The exercises were conducted in response to the 2022 visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan and raised tensions in the region.[27] The Japanese government filed formal complaints to Beijing.[27][26] The Chinese foreign ministry later expressed that boundaries between Japan and China over the waters involved have not been drawn up yet.[28]

North Korea fired ballistic missile

On 18 November 2022 a ballistic missile launched by North Korea landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.[29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "海洋白書 2004". Nippon Foundation. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  2. ↑ "令和元年全国都道府県市区町村別面積調（１０月１日時点）, Reiwa 1st year National area of each prefecture municipality (as of October 1)" (in Japanese). Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "日本の領海等概念図". 海上保安庁海洋情報部. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Sea Around Us – Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity". Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  5. ↑ Including areas recommended by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf "CLCS".
  6. ↑ 『魚の経済学』　山下東子　日本評論社　79–82頁 ISBN 4535556091
  7. ↑ 元々はEEZを設定しない事で日本側が相手国の対岸の近くまで漁業ができた為、都合がよく。1965年の日中漁業協定は日本側の中国沿岸での漁業が問題視された事が発端であるが、1970年代後半以後、その立場は逆転する。日中漁業協定の項も参照
  8. ↑ "The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (A historical perspective)". United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  9. ↑ "Documents and Publications". International Seabed Authority. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008.
  10. 1 2 James Kraska (1 December 2020). "Japan and the Four Multilateral Maritime Conferences－ 1930 to 1982" (PDF). 海幹校戦略研究第 10 巻第 2 号（通巻第 21 号） 2020 年 12 月 (Maritime College Strategic Research Volume 10 No. 2 (Volume 21) December 2020). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2022.
  11. ↑ "Law of the Sea". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  12. ↑ Kosuke Takahashi (2 July 2022). "Japan Awards Contract to Shipbuilder JMU for 12 New Offshore Patrol Vessels". The Diplomat. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  13. ↑ Jr Ng (14 July 2022). "Japan Marine United selected to build JMSDF's next-gen OPV". Asia Military Review. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "排他的経済水域における漁業等に関する主権的権利の行使等に関する法律 (Act on Exercise of Sovereign Rights Concerning Fisheries, etc. in Exclusive Economic Zones)". Japanese Law. 14 June 1996. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022.
  15. ↑ Morris, Lyle (7 January 2019). "Gray Zone Challenges in the East and South China Sea". Maritime Issues. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  16. ↑ Tarriela, Jay Tristan (24 January 2019). "How Abe Remade the Japan Coast Guard". The Diplomat. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  17. ↑ Pollmann, Mina (12 December 2019). "The Ever-Evolving Importance of Japan's Coast Guard". The Diplomat. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  18. ↑ Lia Wong (1 September 2022). "Japanese Defense Budget Expansion Includes Two 20,000 Ton Cruisers". Overt Defense. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  19. ↑ Dzirhan Mahadzir (6 September 2022). "Japan to Build Two 20,000-ton Missile Defense Warships, Indian Carrier Commissions". USNI News Blog. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  20. ↑ Yoshihiro Inaba (1 September 2022). "Japan's New "Aegis Equipped Ships": What We Know So Fars". NavalNews. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  21. ↑ Kyle Mizokami (12 September 2022). "Japan Defense Ministry plans new Aegis destroyers in place of Aegis Ashore". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  22. ↑ EEZ and shelf areas of Japan (main islands) – Sea Around Us Project – Fisheries, Ecosystems & Biodiversity – Data and Visualization.
  23. ↑ EEZ and shelf areas of Japan (Daitō Islands) – Sea Around Us Project – Fisheries, Ecosystems & Biodiversity – Data and Visualization.
  24. ↑ EEZ and shelf areas of Japan (Ogasawara Islands) – Sea Around Us Project – Fisheries, Ecosystems & Biodiversity – Data and Visualization.
  25. ↑ "北方領土は「固有の領土」 岸田首相". Jiji Press. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022.
  26. 1 2 NEWS, KYODO. "Chinese-fired ballistic missiles fall into Japan's EEZ: gov't". Kyodo News+. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  27. 1 2 3 "China's missle [sic] landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone". Asahi. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022.
  28. ↑ "2022年8月4日外交部发言人华春莹主持例行记者会_中华人民共和国外交部". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China. 4 August 2022.
  29. ↑ "North Korean ICBM lands in Japan's exclusive economic zone, PM says". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
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