47 



INTERNATIONAL 



Japan and South Korea 

 Hold Fishery Talks 



After returning to Japan from the 3 -day 

 Conference of Ministers in Seoul, Republic 

 of Korea (ROK), September 8-10, 1966, Japa 

 nese Fisheries Agency Director Hisamune 

 summarized the talks: 



• Exports of fishery products: ROK del- 

 egates sought to increase South Korean ex- 

 ports to Japan, but Agriculture -Forestry 

 Minister Matsuno stated that Japan naturally 

 would have to limit imports which would com- 

 pete with domestic fishery products. He 

 wished South Korea would promote exports of 

 noncompetitive fishery products, 



• Use of Japanese ports by ROK fishing 

 vessels: The South Korean Government did 

 not understand the details of Japan's decision 

 to restrict entry into its ports of ROK fishing 

 vessels. Many ROK officials held the erro- 

 neous impression that Japan's action sup- 

 pressed the principle of freedona of the high 

 seas. Public opinion in South Korea trended 

 toward this view. Director Hisamune ex- 

 plained that Japan was only following the lead 

 of other countries with coastal fisheries and 

 was not discriminating against South Korea. 

 To maintain order in its fisheries, Japan 

 acted to keep its ports from becoming bases 

 for foreign fishing vessels. 



• Exports of fishing vessels to South Ko- 

 rea: Under the Japan-ROK Fisheries Agree- 

 ment, exports of fishing vessels were to be 

 transacted on a commercial credit basis. 

 However, during the first year of the aid pro- 

 gram, this principle was not followed because 

 no commercial loans were extended. Vessel 

 exports were handled on a nonrepayment 

 basis (reparations). Director Hisamune 

 stated: 1) from a practical standpoint, ex- 

 ports of fishing vessels under 20 gross tons 

 to small-scale coastal fishery operators are 

 difficult to finance on a commercial-credit 

 basis, so the nonrepayment (reparations) 

 fund can be used for this purpose; 2) of the 

 total $300 million commercial loan, the $40 

 million earmarked for medium and small 

 fisheries should be used to buy 20- to 100- 

 ton vessels for offshore fishery, and ROK 

 should guarantee repayment; 3) the $50 mil- 

 lion commercial loans for large fishing 



companies will likely be processed through 

 regular commercial channels (export banks). 



• Imports of seaweed from South Korea: 

 The Korean cabinet members were all inter- 

 ested in the seaweed problem, and again re- 

 quested that Japan expand her seaweed im- 

 port quota. They strongly urged that trade 

 negotiations for the current business year be 

 started early. ("Suisan Tsushin," September 

 13, 1966.) 



Northwest Pacific Fisheries 

 Convention 



JAPAN TO RENEGOTIATE 

 TREATY WITH USSR 



Japanese fishery circles are concerned 

 with the problems of renegotiating the Japa- 

 nese-Soviet Fisheries Treaty. The Soviet 

 Union has already made clear that it wants 

 the treaty extended for another 10 years -- 

 and wants the salmon catch of the two nations 

 closer to equal. 



The Japanese Government and fishing cir- 

 cles favor extending the treaty for another 10 

 years. They are studying the effect that the 

 entry of South Korea into the North Pacific 

 fisheries may have on negotiations --as well 

 as the question of the closure of Japanese 

 ports to foreign fishing vessels. 



The real issue is the 50-50 division of the 

 salmon catch between the USSR and Japan. If 

 accepted, it would drastically reduce the Japa- 

 nese high-seas fleet. (Fishery Attache', U. S. 

 Embassy, Tokyo, Sept. 20, 1966.) 



North Pacific Fishery Convention 



JAPANESE OFFICIAL DISCUSSES ITS 

 RENEGOTIATION WITH CANADA AND U. S. 



Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Mat- 

 suno and the Fisheries Agency's Production 

 Division Chief Kamenaga discussed with the 

 Canadian Government problems relating to 

 the North Pacific Fisheries. Both men at- 

 tended the Japan-Canada Ministerial Confer- 

 ence, October 3-6. They sounded out the Ca- 

 nadian Government concerning renegotiation 

 of the Treaty and hoped to break the impasse 

 in negotiations. 



