Japan Folk Slam China For Firing Missiles That Hit Their Fishing Grounds

Fishing industry workers in Japan voiced concerns on Aug. 4 following news that ballistic missiles fired by China as part of a military exercise landed in waters near the Okinawa islands, and condemned the act as "dangerous," Nozomu Takeuchi, Rika Uemura and Keiko Yamaguchi reported for Mainichi Shimbun.

Photo Insert: Japan's westernmost island of Yonaguni lies some 110 kilometers from Taiwan.

"I never expected that the missiles would land in waters close to Japan. It is an unexpectedly large-scale exercise and is dangerous," Shigenori Takenishi, 60, head of the Yonaguni town fishermen's association, said on the night of Aug. 4.

While there were no reports of damage, Takenishi said he would ask fishing boats belonging to the association to call off fishing on Aug. 5.

Noting that the Japanese Ministry of Defense had not provided any information regarding the details of the military exercise, he said "it's a major blunder by the government. I would have liked them to prepare a system to alert the public, especially residents of Yonaguni.

The Chinese military started its major drill near Taiwan on Aug. 4, apparently in reaction to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the region. The ballistic missiles fell in waters near Yonaguni and Hateruma islands in Okinawa Prefecture.

Japan's westernmost island of Yonaguni lies some 110 kilometers from Taiwan. According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the missiles fell about 80 km north-northwest of the island, outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ.)

Hirotoshi Ogimi, 65, chief director of the Yonaguni town fishermen's association and deputy head of the Yonaguni defense association, said the area around the site where the missiles landed is a fishing ground where locals do pole-and-line fishing on a regular basis.

"It's so close to where we fish. The missiles could land on boats or cause damage on the island. In a case like this, I want the national government to provide solid information and an explanation to islanders," he said.

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