Japanese media has reported that this year has seen an increase of North Korean fishing boats operating near waters between North Korea and Japan in the East Sea.
 
Quoting data from Japan’s fisheries ministry and coast guard, the Asahi Shimbun said Thursday that some 400 North Korean squid fishing boats were found to be operating in the region since January. The number has surged from 100 last year, 80 in 2012 and 15 in 2011.
 
The Japanese daily said North Korean ships usually fish for squid in waters 370 kilometers northwest of Japan’s Noto Peninsula during the summer and fall.
 
According to Asahi, Japanese authorities believe North Korea is desperate to overcome food shortage as international food aid has dwindled and its recent relations with China are not as close as before.
 
North Korea has not proclaimed an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the East Sea as it is not a member of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which prescribes the right of a nation to claim EEZs. It also does not have a fishing agreement with Japan.