Russian frontiersmen say they did not fire at Japanese vessels

Officers of Sakhalin coast guard department confuted the information reported yesterday by Japanese news agencies about attack on Japanese fishermen off South Kuril Islands, reports Wednesday RIA Novosti referring to a representative of Russian FSB Frontier Service. 

"Our colleagues neither fired at Japanese fishing vessels nor even opened cautionary fire", said the interviewee. 

Referring to Japan's maritime security service, news agency Kyodo reported that Russian frontiersmen fired illuminating projectiles at a Japanese fishing vessel near Habomai Islands. According to the agency, probably Japanese fishermen appeared within Russian territorial waters. Maritime security department of Nemuro (Hokkaido prefecture) kicked off an investigation which will be continued when the ships return to home port. Representatives of Japanese maritime security service refused to comment the incident until any findings. 

Late in Jan 2010 two Japanese fishing schooners were fired by Russian frontiersmen off Kunashir Island. At first, Japanese party said both vessels were fishing within the zone specified by Russian-Japanese agreement of 1998 and raised a protest to Russia. However, Hokkaido maritime security department found out that shipmasters of both schooners switched off satellite-aided vessel positioning system for 4.5 hours which is contrary to Japanese legislation and may imply that the fishermen worked beyond the allowed zone. Shipmasters and their companies were fined for about $5,000. 

Japan claims to 4 South Kuril islands – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai – referring to the 1855 Treaty of Shimoda which set the border between Urup and Iturup islands, and recognized disputable areas as Japan's territories. Principal position of Moscow lays in the fact that South Kurils were annexed by the Soviet Union after the World War II; as long as Russia became a legal successor of the USSR, its sovereignty over the islands is legal and beyond any doubts. However, Japan connects the signing of the bilateral peace treaty (which has not been signed since WW2) with settlement of the territorial dispute.