Farm minister Tsutomu Takebe said Friday that Japan will tighten controls on items that Russian fishermen calling at Japanese ports to unload marine products can take out of the country.
"There is confusion at some ports. We want to work out some standards after consulting with the municipalities concerned," Takebe, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, said at a news conference.
Ministry officials said Russian fishermen buy Japanese products, such as home electric appliances and used cars, and load them on their boats when they call at Japanese ports, causing confusion during loading and unloading operations at some ports.
Takebe said the government will more rigidly apply existing laws related to foreign fisheries and shipment of supplies.
The announcement came after recent revelations that some Russian fishing boats are faking documents for marine products they land at Japanese ports.
The Japanese government says it became aware of the extent of Russian fishermen's purchases when it investigated the alleged forging of fishing documents, the officials said.