Japan and Russia in Fishy water

According to reports over here, Russia has killed a Japanese fisherman and detained three others in the waters around the hotly disputed areas of the Northern Territories (Japan) or the Kurils (Russia).

The Japanese press claim that the Russian boat opened fire first, whilst the Russian News agency Itar-Tass refutes that claim and states that the Japanese boat refused to stop and made dangerous manouevres.

According to the BBC, disputes in this area are common although the last time anyone was killed was 50 years ago.