Russia will release six of 11 Japanese fishermen captured in disputed waters later this week, the Japanese foreign ministry said Wednesday. Japan will send a vessel to pick up the six crew members to waters off Shikotan Island, one of four Kuril islands ruled by Russia but claimed by Japan, on Thursday if weather permits, the ministry said in a statement.
Moscow seized four Japanese fishing boats and 11 fishermen on December 13 in waters north of Kunashiri, another disputed island, and later released one of the 11 crew due to his poor health.
Four crew members are still detained by Russian authorities. Russia and Japan frequently have disputes over fishing rights. In August 2006, a Russian coast guard boat opened fire on a Japanese fishing vessel, killing one of its four crew members and further straining relations between the countries.
The two countries have never signed a peace treaty formally ending World War II, as Japan claims the four islands off its northern coast which Soviet troops seized days after Tokyo's surrender in 1945.
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