Disused undersea telecommunications cables from before the war are becoming a headache for fishermen in Hokkaido when they inadvertently hook sections lying on the seabed, tearing their nets. Historians nevertheless are pleased to see the artifacts from Japanese prewar history.
For Yasushi Shimizu, 42, an oyster fisherman at Hokkaido's northern village of Sarufutsu, the cables are nothing more than a nuisance.
"The cables may hurt our workers and boats," he said.