Despite worsening tensions over the Ukraine crisis, Japan and Russia have reached an agreement on Tokyo’s fishing quota for salmon and trout born in Russian rivers, according to Japan’s fisheries agency.
The fate of annual discussions between the two governments this year overshadowed the livelihood of Japanese fishermen in northern regions around disputed islands, with Russo-Japanese relations unraveling.
According to Japan‘s fisheries agency, the two countries agreed on Japan’s quota of 2,050 tons of salmon and trout within its own exclusive economic zone for this year, which is the same as last year, and that Japan would pay Russia fees ranging from 200 million yen ($1.56 million) to 300 million yen, depending on the actual catch.
The annual fishery talks began this month, despite rising tensions between Tokyo and Moscow.
Japan has enacted a number of penalties against Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, including expelling many ambassadors and terminating Russia’s most-favored-nation status.
In reaction to the sanctions, Russia withdrew from delayed peace talks with Japan and halted collaborative economic projects, declaring its efforts in Ukraine a “special operation.”
