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Taiwanese man fined for illegal fishing in Japan
A Taiwanese man has been fined NT$6.5 million (US$205,376) for illegal fishing in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The Taitung District Prosecutors Office said on Friday (Sept. 29) that it had confiscated the fishing vessel and fined the captain surnamed Chen (陳) under the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.
Chen was found to have been operating his fishing boat in Japan's EEZ off the coast of Okinawa without a permit on Oct. 19, 2020. Japanese authorities detained him and impounded his boat.
He was subsequently released and returned to Taiwan after paying a fine to the Japanese government. However, Taiwanese authorities pursued the case and fined Chen NT$6.5 million, based on the size of his vessel and the profits he had made from illegal fishing.
The Taiwanese government has been cracking down on illegal fishing in recent years. The Taitung District Prosecutors Office urged Taiwanese fishermen to respect the laws of other countries and fish only in permitted areas.
