Japan has lodged a protest against Russia for suspending a safe fishing agreement to prevent Japanese fishing vessels from being seized by Russian authorities in seas near disputed islands off Hokkaido, a government official said Wednesday. Russia on Tuesday announced the suspension of the 1998 agreement, citing Japan's freezing of payments for a development project in Sakhalin. The move comes amid frictions between the two countries after Japan joined U.S.-led sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. "We regret that Russia unilaterally announced the suspension of the agreement," ...
