[/floatr]Yomiuri: Government to ask islanders to track suspicious ships
In an effort to boost Japan's territorial security, the government is considering creating a system under which residents who live on remote islands would cooperate in spotting and reporting suspicious-looking ships, sources said Saturday. The government will ask residents on remote islands situated in the farthest reaches of Japan's territorial waters, such as those in the Sea of Japan or the East China Sea, to work together to locate unidentified ships or boats illegally fishing in Japan's waters as well as foreigners who are attempting to illegally come ashore on Japan's coast, according to the sources. To ensure the continuous cooperation of island residents, the government will create a manual for residents to consult in connection with such incidents and will also compensate those whose work commitments are affected by their surveillance duties, the sources said. Meanwhile, the government will conduct a survey on how residents have been dealing with poaching, foreigners attempting to illegally enter Japan by coming ashore and other past incidents...Currently, the Japan Coast Guard is responsible for maritime security. It provides a 118 emergency phone number service for people to report suspicious-looking ships. In 2003, Umimori, a national volunteer group that monitors oceans, was established to create a private-sect or monitoring system. However, as there is no end to the number of poaching boats and other suspicious looking vessels, the government has decided it is necessary to obtain the cooperation of residents living on remote islands...more...
