Poaching Coral

More fishermen in Ogasawara Island, located in Pacific Ocean one thousand kilometers south of Tokyo are getting witness numerous bright lights on the offshore horizon every night. They are robbery ships from China, poaching coral for jewelry. Although the location is outside of Japan’s territorial sea area, it is within exclusive economic zone. The government of China has took no action against those ships so far.

Ogasawara Islands consist of about thirty islands. Rich in unique species, Ogasawara was registered as World Natural Heritage by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Although governments of Japan and United States agreed with putting Ogasawara under administration of U.S. in San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1945, it was returned to Japan in 1968. China has not disputed its sovereignty on those islands in any way.

It was this September when people in Ogasawara realized a number of Chinese ships appeared. According to the report of Yomiuri Shimbun, forty-six boats were confirmed on October 13^th. Coral jewelry is highly popular in China. Among them, red coral has the highest value, which price was raised from ¥3.4 million per kilogram in 2012 to ¥6.3 million in 2014. Fishermen in Ogasawara, being strictly regulated in their capture of coral by Japanese government, have been frustrated the crime by the Chinese. Environmental damage is also significant, because coral reef is a place for fish to incubate their eggs.

Japan Coast Guard supposes that those boats might come from the sea area around Okinawa, where patrol on those poaching was enforced. Laying stricter patrol in Ogasawara area, the Guard has arrested multiple captains of those boats, in suspect of violation of Foreigners’ Fishery Regulation Act. They often move without lights, not to be found, Japanese fishermen accuse them as causing collision of boats.

The government of Japan has not determined those activities of Chinese boats as a similar action of China seen around Senkaku Island, where Chinese government asserts their sovereignty. That shows contradiction of China. Their appeal is not based on international law, but on business benefit. Because they realized huge reserve of oil, the Chinese want Senkaku. Because they have not found such a great benefit in Ogasawara, no assertion on Ogasawara has not seen so far. If they discover some great resource in Ogasawara, they will look for some preferable reason for their ownership, maybe historical facts several thousand years ago.