Chinese Govt Prohibits Fishing Boats from Activities around Senkaku Islands; Ban in Area Set to Expire on Saturday

By Nobuha Endo / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

15:54 JST, August 14, 2025

FUJIAN PROVINCE, China — The Chinese government issued an order to prohibit fishers from operating in “sensitive” sea areas just prior to Saturday’s expiration of a fishing ban in the areas around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, the online edition of the Shishi Daily, a local newspaper in Shishi in China’s Fujian Province, reported.

The order is apparently aimed at avoiding an excessive rise in tension between Japan and China.

According to the newspaper’s report, a meeting was held between authorities and fishing industry representatives on Aug. 8. The authorities demanded strict adherence to a red line in sensitive sea areas and no illegal activities in order to maintain order and stability.

In July, the China Coast Guard and Chinese public security authorities had issued a notice stating that they would strengthen patrols in sensitive sea areas and strictly manage fishing boats that cross the red line.

In August 2016, hundreds of Chinese fishing boats crowded into sea areas around the Senkaku Islands, raising tension between the two countries. However, it remains unclear whether the authorities’ directions will be strictly enforced.

A fisherman who was preparing to set sail from a fishing port in Shishi on Tuesday told The Yomiuri Shimbun that Diaoyu Islands, the Chinese name for the Senkaku Islands, has abundant fish, so he might go fishing there, indicating the possibility of fishing activities occurring around the Senkaku Islands.