A new step toward sustainable fisheries in Japan: The 2018 Amendments to the 1949 Fisheries Act and the Fisheries Cooperative Associations Act

This article presents the recent amendments to the 1949 Fisheries Act and the Fisheries Cooperative Associations Act (FCA Act) with the background, both enacted by the Japanese Diet in December 2018. It also discusses the core contents of such amendments. The 2018 amendment to the 1949 Fisheries Act aims to promote the sustainable use of fisheries resources and the comprehensive utilization of coastal waters for fisheries nationwide. The amendment was made in response to recent methodological or technological advancements in resources management and aquaculture production. The two most important points of the 2018 amendment to the 1949 Fisheries Act are the introduction of new systems for managing fisheries resources to promote sustainable fisheries and the revision of the fisheries rights system to ensure the comprehensive utilization of coastal waters for fisheries. The FCAs Act was concurrently amended to update the roles of fisheries cooperative associations (FCAs) to achieve the objectives of the amended 1949 Fisheries Act. As the background of such amendments, this article shows a brief history of Japan’s fisheries legislation, particularly since the early twentieth century. It also explains how it has continuously addressed the conservation and management of fisheries resources and the comprehensive utilization of coastal waters.