Talks between Japan and South Korea over the latter's fishing activity in waters around the Russian-held Northern Territories have broken down as both sides have dug in their heels. With little prospect of the two governments reaching agreement soon, the dispute could develop into yet another knotty political issue between the two nations, which are already involved in controversies over Japan's history textbooks and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plan to visit Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15.

In a sense, the dispute is "Russian-made" as it stems from Russia's agreement to allow South Korean boats to conduct fishing operations in waters off Russian-occupied islands that Japan claims. In concluding the governmental accord with South Korea last December, Russia chose to not acknowledge the decades-long territorial dispute with Japan and agreed to allow South Korean boats to fish for saury, a kind of needlefish, in waters off those islands east of Hokkaido. The Japanese government immediately filed protests against the agreement with Moscow and Seoul because Japan regards the waters as part of its economic zone.

Under the agreement, South Korean fishing operations in the waters were to have started July 15. As an expression of protest against the agreement, Japan informed the South Korean government that Tokyo would withhold permission on South Korean saury fishing in waters off the Sanriku region in northeastern Japan. South Korean boats had been allowed to fish in this particular area under a bilateral agreement between the two countries. Tokyo also stated that if the Japanese authorities detected South Korean fishing boats in waters off the Russian-held islands on or after July 15, Japan authorities could seize similar boats entering waters off the Sanriku region for illegal fishing.