Russian patrol shoots Japanese fisherman

Published Wednesday, August 16, 2006

TOKYO (AP) - A Russian patrol boat opened fire on a Japanese vessel in disputed waters today, killing a fisherman and prompting a strong protest from Tokyo. Moscow urged Japanese boats to stay out of its waters, the Japanese government said.

The crab fisherman was shot and killed near Kaigara island, one of several islands off the northeast tip of Hokkaido that are administered by Russia and claimed by Japan. Russia’s regional border patrol said he suffered a "fatal shot in the head."

Russian officials said the man, identified by Japanese media as Mitsuhiro Morita, 35, was killed by a warning shot as he rushed to recover fishing equipment aboard the fishing boat, which was "maneuvering dangerously" and tried to ram a Russian dinghy.

"They were not aiming" to kill, Russian Deputy Ambassador Mikhail Galuzin said.

The shooting was the latest flare-up in a 60-year-old territorial dispute between Japan and Russia and prompted a series of angry recriminations.

Japan insisted the boat was in Japanese waters, called the act "unacceptable" and demanded immediate compensation and release of the boat and surviving crew. The Japanese Coast Guard said it had dispatched two vessels to the shooting scene.

"There has been a loss of life, and the situation is grave. Japan demands an immediate apology," Foreign Minister Taro Aso told reporters after a tense meeting with Galuzin in Tokyo. "It’s unacceptable this took place within Japanese waters."

Russian officials expressed "regret" over the death but defended the patrol boat’s actions, saying the Japanese ship had violated Russian waters and authorities acted within their powers.