自民部会、北朝鮮漁船衝突への対応批判＝水産庁は「適切」と説明

　水産庁は８日、自民党の水産関係部会で、７日午前に起きた同庁の漁業取締船と北朝鮮の漁船が衝突した問題について状況説明を行った。出席者からは漁船の乗組員約６０人の身柄を確保しなかった対応について「（船長を）国内に連行して取り調べできたのではないか。すぐ帰すのは弱腰」との批判が上がった。
　水産庁の担当者は「漁船の漁獲現場を確認していないため、従来の例に従って厳重に警告した」とし、対応に問題はなかったと説明した。江藤拓農林水産相も８日の閣議後会見で「慣例に従うと今回の対応は適切だった」と述べた。（2019/10/08-10:55）

Japan's Fisheries Agency came under fire on Tuesday for failing to take into custody about 60 crew members of a North Korean fishing boat that collided with an Japanese patrol ship in the Sea of Japan the previous day.
   At a meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Fisheries Division, participants claimed that the agency should have brought ashore and questioned the boat's captain, criticizing the agency as "weak" for letting the North Korean fishermen go home soon.
   At a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors the same day, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe explained that the agency did not keep the fishermen from leaving, because illegal fishing by them was not confirmed.
   Abe said the government made a protest over the incident to North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing.
   "We'll continue to respond strictly, in order to prevent illegal fishing by foreign boats," he said.