MOSCOW TO REDOUBLE EFFORTS AGAINST JAPANESE FISHERMEN…

The command of Russia’s Pacific Border Guard District announced yesterday that it intends to double its patrols in Russian waters around Sakhalin and the disputed Kuril Islands. The action is aimed at keeping Japanese fishing vessels out of these areas. It follows two separate incidents on August 26 in which Japanese boats were said to have been discovered in Russian waters. In one of them, a Japanese fishing boat and its crew were detained. (Itar-Tass, August 27; see also yesterday’s Monitor)

…But Seeks Release of Russian Boat.