Asia-Pacific
Russian border guards fire at Japanese fishing vessels
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-30 21:49
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VLADIVOSTOK, Russia: Russian border guards shot at two Japanese fishing boats in what Russia considers its territorial waters near four disputed Pacific islands, news agencies reported on Saturday.
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After warning shots, Russian coast guards fired at the boats from a helicopter. The boats then stopped and returned to the Japanese port of Rausu.
A joint investigation into the incident had been launched with the Japanese side, the statement said.
The four islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, were occupied by Soviet troops in 1945 and are currently under Russian control.
Russia and Japan have long been at odds over ownership of the islands, with the dispute blocking the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries since the end of World War II.
