Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
past 15 years. Local fish markets are not only enhancing their distribution functions but also expanding their exhibition and sales facilities and transforming themselves into tourist spots to revitalize regional economies.

## (Resources management aimed at resources recovery)

Appropriate management of fishery resources is important for the stable continuity of the fisheries industry. Under agreements between relevant fishermen, resources recovery plans have been developed for deteriorating fish stocks. Under such plans, no-fishing period bans on catches of small fish and other fishing restrictions have been imposed, releases of seedlings have been promoted to enhance fishery resources and environment of fishing grounds have been restored and conserved.

## (Export Promotion)

Moves have recently emerged to develop export markets such as Korea and China. As a result, Japan's fishery product exports in volume have continued an upward trend since 1999.

### 4. Future challenges

## (Enhancement of fishery operators' strength)

Regarding vessel-using fishing, it is difficult to realize any further cost reduction under current style of vessel operation and labor management. Therefore, fishermen and their groups should make their own efforts such as labor saving and rationalization of labor management and shift priority from gaining larger amount of catch to seeking profitability. They need to be aware of the need for such shift.

While consumers tend to limit spending on foods including fishery products, fishing earnings have remained unstable. Fishery operators should make efforts to diversify their operations by increasing the value added to their fishery products through processing, promoting producers' direct sales and taking advantage of fishing to attract tourists. They also need to deve

lop new businesses that can revitalize regional economies.

Since the aging of fishermen has been responsible for a decline in activity, efforts are also required to secure young fishermen to take over the fishery industry's future reins.

## (Enhancement of producers' direct sales)

As an appropriate response to changes in and diversification of demand and
distribution channels, fishery operators need to integrate local markets to secure a wider range of sales channels, and meet the growing demand for quality and safe food.

Efforts have been seen throughout Japan to increase the value added to fishery products through brand development and other measures. Fishery operators should further change their way of thinking in order to promote strategies to make consumers better informed and aware of products' originality or supremacy and to enhance quality control.

Some aquaculture operators have sponsored aquaculture inspection tours to promote exchange with consumers. The development of such direct relations with consumers is important.

## (Export-expansion efforts)

The Japanese diet has recently attracted attention as healthy food in the Western world and as luxury food for high-income people in China and South-East Asia whose economies are enjoying remarkable growth. At a time when domestic fishery product prices are falling, fishery operators should not only defend themselves from imports but also take advantage of trade liberalization to aggressively develop overseas markets. Adding value to fishery products through brand development and other measures is strategically important for overseas market development.
## Special Feature 2: Current Status of Fishing Villages and Multiple Functions of the Fisheries and Fishing Villages

### 1. Current Status of fishing villages

## (Basic roles of fishing villages)

Japan had 6,291 fishing villages as of 2003 (see Table I-1). Many of them are small in population and located in unfavorable places far away from urban areas. These fishing villages have fisheries as their mainstay industry and play a key role in the stable provision of fishery products. They have also formed local communities at locations that have few other industries, contributing to Japan's balanced development.

Table I-1 Change in Number of Fishing Villages

1983	1988	1993	1998	2003
Number of fishing villages	6,719	6,750	6,585	6,245	6,291
Number of fishing households per village	37.6	33.8	31.6	29.1	25.9

Source: "Fisheries Census," Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Notes: 1) Figures for 2003 are provisional.

2) A fishing village was defined until 1998 as a village where fishing households number 10 or more or account for 30% or more of all households. Since 2003, a fishing village has been defined as a village with four or more fishing households.

## (Declining vitality of fishing villages)

A decline in the vitality of fishing villages has become a matter of concern, with a fall in the number of fishery workers (a 27% drop in the decade from 1993 to 2003) and the aging of them (in 2003, fishery workers aged above 65 accounted for 34% of total fishery workers and those aged above 60 for 46%).

### 2. Multiple functions of the fisheries and fishing villages

## (What are the multiple functions of the fisheries and fishing villages?)

There are various functions of fisheries and fishing villages other than the provision of fishery products, which is the mainstay function. These functions include complimenting material-cycling, environmental conservation, protection of human lives and properties, provision of opportunities for exchanges and preservation and formation of local communities (see Figure I-8). In August 2004, the Science Council of Japan identified and assessed the non-mainstay functions from a wide academic viewpoint at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Figure I-8 Multiple Functions of the Fisheries Industry and Fishing Villages

(Details of the multiple functions of the fisheries and fishing villages)

- Function to complement material-cycling (Resources-cycling function)

A large quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus is generated from various human activities and discharged from land into the sea. Those materials are then transformed into fish and other aquatic organisms through food chains in marine ecosystems. Collecting such new living organisms from sea areas by fishing promotes material-cycling and also prevents eutrophication (See Figure I-9). Such material cycling function cannot be completed without fisheries.

Figure I-9 Resources-cycling function
Seagrass beds and tidelands are the place for spawning of various organisms and growth of the fry. They also can purify seawater and recover the transparency. While many seagrass beds and tidelands have disappeared during high economic growth period in Japan, fishery workers have stepped up efforts to create seagrass beds and manage tidelands. They have also been collecting dumped trash and cleaning seashore. Viewing forests, rivers and coasts as an integrated ecosystem, fishery workers plant trees to conserve environment of coastal waters. They also collect spilled oil emerging from oil-related accidents.

Photo: Fishery workers plant trees

## • Protection of human lives and properties

Japan has some 210,000 fishing vessels and about 6,300 fishing villages along the coast line. That means, on average, one vessel exists for every 170 meters of shoreline and one fishing village every 5.5 kilometers. Fishery workers' vast information and surveillance network plays a key role in rescuing people trapped in marine accidents and disasters, in monitoring the marine environment and in national border surveillance.

Photo: A fishing vessel (left) tows a capsized vessel (right).
## • Provision of opportunities for exchanges

Fishing villages promote exchanges among various people such as urban and rural residents, young people and children through a number of events including marine recreation, on-site training and direct sales of fresh fishery products. They also provide the opportunity to view beautiful Japanese scenery, like a fishing vessel against a background of beautiful coast with white sand and green pine trees, as well as fixed fishing nets and the drying of fish in the sun.

Photo: Salmon festival (Yamada, Iwate Prefecture)

## • Formation and preservation of local communities

Fishing villages have created and maintained traditional cultures rooted deep in local communities, including festivals for safe fishing and good hauls, a diversity of fishing methods developed to meet the local fish species and fishing grounds, and local fish dishes made with unique cooking and processing methods.

Photo: Small trawl net vessels sailing in the Yatsushiro Sea
Source: “Annual Statistics of Fishery and Aquaculture Production,” Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Notes: 1) Due to fractional rounding, component figures may not add up to the exact totals shown.

2) Inland water fishery and aquaculture production in and after 2002 covers catch amount at 148 major rivers and 28 lakes and amount of production of cultured trout, Ayu (sweetfish), carp and eel.

### I I. Developments in the Japanese Fisheries since FY 2003

### 1. Supply and demand of fishery products in Japan

## (1) Domestic fishery production

## (Fishery and aquaculture production)

In 2003, Japan saw its fishery and aquaculture production increase 3% in volume from the previous year to 6.08 million tons (see Table II-1) and shrank 8% in value to 1.6 trillion yen.

Table II-1 Fishery and Aquaculture Production Volume

(Unit: 10,000 tons)

1993	1998	2002	2003	Percentage change 2003/2002
Total	871	668	588	608	3
Marine fishery	726	531	443	472	6
Far seas fishery	114	81	69	60	$ \triangle $ 12
Offshore fishery	426	292	226	254	13
Coastal fishery	186	158	149	158	6
Marine aquaculture	127	123	133	125	$ \triangle $ 6
Inland water fishery and aquaculture	18	14	11	11	$ \triangle $ 3

## (Fishery resources in surrounding waters)

According to the results of a resource assessment conducted in 2004 on major fishery resources in the waters surrounding Japan, the levels of fishery resources are low for more than half of the species or stocks on which the assessment was conducted.

Since FY 2004, such new resources restoration plans as the “Resources Restoration Plan for Launce in the Soya Straits” and the “Resources Restoration Plan for Pacific Spear Squid Stock (Southern Part)” have been developed and implemented. These plans include measures that have severe short-term effects on fishery business management. However, their expansion is important.

## (Aquatic environment)

The aquatic environment of coastal waters, which are important for fishing and
aquaculture, has been affected by such factors as the influx of wastewater from factories and households, land reclamation and sea gravel extraction. Many seagrass beds, which are essential for aquatic animals to spawn and secure places for the fry to grow, have disappeared. Causes for the disappearance are unknown for about 40% cases. Indicated causes attributable to human activities include direct effects of land reclamation, etc., as well as indirect effects of buildings or other structures that stop water flows and change the underwater sand distribution. Natural causes include an increase in water temperature and feeding damage caused by sea urchin, shellfish and fish. In addition, a decrease in the clarity of water due to muddiness or contamination was pointed out as another reason, according to a study on zostera zones.

The biological oxygen demand (BOD) and the chemical oxygen demand (COD), which are representative indicators of organic contamination, show some water quality improvement in rivers and lakes and no improvement or deterioration in sea waters.

Large jellyfish that seriously affect fixed nets were seen in 2004 as in 2003, in waters ranging from the Sea of Japan to the Northern Pacific coastal areas of Honshu Island. In order to reduce fishing losses from large jellyfish, research and technology development have been implemented since FY 2004 to forecast the massive infestation of large jellyfish, and to prevent losses and make effective use of such jellyfish.

## (Current Status of inland waters)

Inland waters play an important role in providing various freshwater fish and shellfish, such as Ayu (sweetfish), creating opportunities for people to enjoy recreational fishing and otherwise commune with nature, and preserving the natural environment.

However, inland waters are currently suffering fishery- and ecosystem-related damage due to predation of indigenous fish species by black bass and other alien species. Under such circumstances, the Invasive Alien Species Act was established for the purpose of regulating raising, carrying or importing of designated invasive alien species and exterminate such species. Based on the opinions presented at the Invasive Alien Species Expert Committee meeting held in January 2005, discussion has started aiming to designate four species including black bass as invasive alien species in the category of fish species.

The number of river cormorants has increased with their geographic distribution widening over the recent years. To prevent and reduce damage to fishing brought by river cormorants, efforts have been made to prevent them from coming to fishing grounds and exterminate a limited number of such birds.

Carp infected with the koi herpes virus (KHV) were identified in 39 prefectures by
the end of January 2005. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has appropriately promoted measures against KHV outbreaks, including restrictions on transportation of infected carp, their disposal and disinfection of carp farms. In February 2004, the ministry inaugurated a conference of experts on the fishery quarantine system. In July 2004, the conference compiled a report on the present state and problems of aquatic animal quarantine measures and the direction of future measures.

## (2) Fishery product trade

Japan’s fishery product imports in 2003 fell back both in volume (weight of products upon customs clearance, hereinafter the same) and value. In volume terms, the year’s imports declined by 496,000 tons or 13% from the previous year to 3.325 million tons. In value, they dropped by 193 billion yen or 11% to 1,569.2 billion yen.

However, Japan has remained the world's largest fishery product importer both in volume and value, accounting for 14% of the world's total fishery product import volume and 22% of total import value (as of 2002). China has been the largest fishery product exporter to Japan since 1998. But such imports from China in 2003 decreased by 120,000 tons or 16% in volume terms from the previous year and by 22.9 billion yen or 7% in value terms.

On the other hand, Japan’s fishery product exports in 2003 increased by 63,000 tons or 21% to 370,000 tons in volume terms from the previous year while decreasing by 1.1 billion yen or 1% to 135.4 billion yen in value.

Table II-2 World Fishery Product Trade

(5 largest exporters and importers in value and volume terms in 2002)

Unit: 1 million dollars in value, 10,000 tons in volume

Imports	Value Share (%)	World total 62,318 100	Japan 13,863 22	U.S.A. 10,150 16	Spain 3,867 6	France 3,237 5	Italy 2,917 5
Volume Share (%)	World total 2,774 100	Japan 382 14	China 248 9	U.S.A. 207 7	Spain 146 5	Denmark 140 5
Exports	Value Share (%)	World total 58,500 100	China 4,601 8	Thailand 3,692 6	Norway 3,601 6	U.S.A. 3,319 6	Canada 3,052 5	Japan (23rd) 818 1
Volume Share (%)	World total 2,742 100	Norway 210 8	China 206 8	Peru 186 7	U.S.A. 136 5	Denmark 127 5	Japan (28th) 31 1

Source: “Fishstat (Fisheries Commodities Production and Trade 1976-2002),” FAO
## (3) Processing and marketing of fishery products

(Processing of fishery products)

The production volume of major items of processed fishery products has been on the decline as fish cake and other steamed fish paste products, as well as salted salmon and other salted products have decreased despite an increase in frozen fishery products.

Most processed fishery product producers have the problem of sluggish sales, reflecting a decline in household purchases of processed fishery products. As concerns have grown about the quality and safety of fishery products for food, these producers are being called on to make hygiene management efforts including the introduction of the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system. But these efforts, which require equipment investment, are difficult for these producers, which are mostly small in size.

## (Marketing of fishery products)

In 2003, fish and other aquatic animal catches (excluding shellfish and sea weed) landed at major Japanese fishing ports and listed in a nearby local market increased by 8% from the previous year. Their average price was 180 yen per kilogram, down 17%. Japan now has about 900 local fish markets that have failed to work well due to a decline in catches both in volume and value. Each prefectural government is trying to integrate these markets.

In 2003, the trade volume at major markets in consuming site (central wholesale markets in 10 cities) declined by 3% from the previous year and 9% from five years earlier. The average price came to 763 yen per kilogram, down 4% from the previous year and 10% from five years earlier. Auctions declined while negotiation transactions increased.

The Wholesale Market Law was revised in June 2004 to develop a safer and more reliable and effective distribution system meeting consumer needs and taking into account relevant social and economic changes.

## (4) Ensuring safety and labeling of fishery products

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Food Safety Commission, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, etc. have cooperated in promoting risk communications on food throughout Japan.

Since July 2000, the label of each fresh food product among all foods and beverages including fishery products for ordinary consumers consumption has been required to show the name and place of origin under the Japan Agriculture Standards Law. Since
April 2001, the label of each processed food product has been required to indicate the name, the ingredients, the use-by date and others. Regarding processed fishery products, the “labeling standards for processed foods” were revised in September 2004 to require place of origin to be indicated for main ingredients of all the processed foods close to fresh foods in addition to six products to which such requirement has been already applied including salted mackerel.

The national and prefectural governments have implemented the surveillance and guidance regarding food labels by conducting on-site inspections and regular monitoring surveys at food stores, and by establishing a nationwide telephone number for food labeling inquiries to collect food labeling information from a wide range of people.

## (5) Consumption of fishery products and self-sufficiency rate

In 2003, the fish and shellfish (on an original weight basis) supplied for domestic consumption decreased 2% to 10.98 million tons from the previous year, of which about 80% was supplied for human consumption, down 2% to 8.39 million tons. Per capita annual fishery product consumption came to 65.7 kilograms on a crude food weight basis and to 36.2 kilograms on a net weight basis.

The self-sufficiency rate of fish and shellfish for food consumption in 2003 rose by 4 percentage points to 57% as domestic production increased with imports decreasing (see Figure II-1).

Figure II-1 Changes in Self-Sufficiency Rate of Fish and Shellfish for Food

Source: “Food Balance Sheets,” Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
### 2. International developments surrounding Japan’s fisheries

## (1) Bilateral fishery relations

Japan and Korea conduct their fishing operations in each other's waters under the Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea on Fishing. Japan and China similarly conduct fishing operations in each other's waters under the Agreement between Japan and the People's Republic of China on Fishing.

Based on the Japan-Soviet Union Adjacent and Offshore Fishery Agreement, Japan and Russia conduct their fishing operation in each other's 200-mile zone. Japan also catches Russian salmon under the Japan-Soviet Union Fishery Cooperation Agreement and conducts fishing operations in waters within 12 miles from the Four Northern Islands under the Framework Agreement Concerning the Operations of Japanese Fishing Vessels in the Waters around the Four Northern Islands, which was concluded on a precondition that Japan's basic stance that the four islands are Japan's inherent territory not be affected.

Japanese fishing vessels also operate in the 200-mile zones of Pacific island and African countries under bilateral government-to-government or private-level agreements.

## (2) Crackdown on illegal foreign fishing vessels

Japan monitors and cracks down on foreign fishing vessels' illegal activities in its exclusive economic zones, etc.

In 2004, Japan seized 29 foreign fishing vessels, conducted boarding inspections on 215 vessels and confiscated fishing gear from 57 vessels (see Figure II-2). Recently, foreign fishing vessels' malicious actions have stood out. Some foreign fishing vessels have hit Japanese patrol vessels. Japan has thus been trying to enhance its enforcement activities such as surveillance against foreign fishing vessels.
Figure II-2 Fisheries Agency's Boarding Inspections of Foreign Fishing Vessels, etc.

Breakdown of seized fishing boats by nationality

Korea	16	17	25	23	14
Taiwan	-	1	-	-	7
China	5	3	12	12	5
Russia	-	-	1	-	2
Cambodia	-	-	-	-	1
Total	21	21	38	35	29

Source: Fisheries Agency

## (3) Multilateral fishery relations

(Developments with regard to tuna and skipjack fisheries)

Each of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) and other regional fisheries management organizations have made positive list of fishing vessels that have received official fishing permits from member countries of the respective organization and are trying to exclude catches of any unlisted fishing vessels from international trade.

At an annual ICCAT meeting in 2004, Japan filed complaints against Taiwanese fishing vessels' falsification of facts concerning waters for their fishing activities and their names, and China's over catch. These actions came under fire from other countries as well. The ICCAT plans to consider trade restrictions for Taiwan if no improvement is