In an attempt to restore fisheries in the Tohoku region devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the government on Oct. 15 decided to allow new private enterprises to engage in coastal fishery farming if certain conditions are met. It plans to submit a related bill to the current Diet session. The proposed idea will be only applied to coastal fishery farming in "special restoration zones."

The total damage to Tohoku's fisheries from the tsunami is estimated at ¥1.2 trillion. The proposal is based on the idea originally put forward by Gov. Yoshihiro Murai of Miyagi Prefecture, whose fisheries suffered damage amounting to ¥690 billion.

Under the current fisheries law, fishing cooperatives can veto the entry of new enterprises into coastal fishery farming. Under the proposal, an enterprise will be given the same priority as a fishing cooperative with regard to farming rights if either of the following two conditions is met: Seven or more local fishermen are either employees or shareholders of the enterprise or more than 70 percent of the local fishing households are either employees or shareholders of the enterprise. If both a fishing cooperative and an eligible enterprise ask for fishery farming rights, a prefectural governor will decide which should get the rights by considering which will better contribute to the restoration of aquaculture.