Diving rules? (Japan)

[dcpac]

Does anyone know the Japanese law about where you can and can't dive in Japan? I had my wife call and ask some govermant office what the rules were and they siad as long as you are not diving in a chanel, or area where the fisher men are growing something or a area that sings say you can't dive or swim it is okay. They then asked her for my name and address phone # so she hung up. If I could I would love to buy a boat and compressor and take people diving where ever I want and be able to tell the fisher men to **** off. Can you imagin if I bring my friends RIB boat down to Atami and lanch it from the beach and tie off to the wreck I might even put a sign on the boat in Japanese saying free diving by Steve :10:

 

[Mar Scuba]

Steve, there are a few places that the general public can dive.

Other places, like Izu, require payment of fees to the local fishermen, etc. to keep them happy. Places like Chiba are very hard to dive due to resistance of the associations.

What will you do when you come back from the day's dive to find your car gone or vandalized?

Do you have the proper boat license? How about high pressure gas license to operate a compressor, including the required 4 inch concrete block or steel housing?

My point is not that these rules are just or fair, but that they exist and we have to play by them.

For the most part, the ocean is owned by the fishermen who have been granted fishing licenses by the local governments.

 

[dcpac]

My question was by law can they do anything. If I take a boat to the wreck in Atami I am sure the fisher men will be pissed but what can they do legally? If I start and more people start mabey things can change. The fisher men rape the ocean follow no rules, belive that eating shark fins will better there sex life due thier lack of size. Then you have some instructors and dive operators who rape normal divers. Matt don't worry if I do the boat thing it won't hurt you the people I know could never afford to pay your prices. BTW let me know if you want me to fill that tank for you. I really like this country and would love to stay but all this BS with diving in Japan ******* stupid. I did not know you can't curse on this board.

 

[Mar Scuba]

Steve, as military, you should know more than others that you are a guest of the Japanese government and are acting as an ambassador of goodwill. Legally the people who don't want you on "their" turf will invoke all the things I said, from checking your boat registration and boat license to your compressor and tanks, car registration, drivers license, anything to make your life difficult.

I know a few people who operate private boats (yachts) out of places like Ito or Shimoda, big harbors, and scuba dive. But they don't go to the areas where dive services and fishermen are already set up.

There are only a couple of dive services that are not run by or sanctioned by fishermen.

For the most part, we play by the fishermen's rules whether we like it or not. Be clear, I am not saying that I like it.

The most inexpensive place to dive (you can bring your own tanks, etc.) is Osezaki but you still have to pay the 340 yen ocean entrance fee.

Remember, this ain't the land of the free, the group rules over the individual.

 

[dcpac]

For the most part, the ocean is owned by the fishermen who have been granted fishing licenses by the local governments.

After talking with more people I guess it depends on what the law is for that local goverment. Anyway 10 more months and I am going back to the land of the free, where things make sense. Mabey in the future Japanese will come around.

 

[TJO]

I am not sure of this but I heard it was the Americans that made these rules after WW2. Anyway, whoever made these rules were certainly not divers.

You do not have these rules in all places. Okinawa for example. I think many places in Kyushu also are open. Tohoku for sure is.

I am curious what the law actually says. I would guess Steve is right and that the fishermen have their own interpretation. It is hard for them to believe divers dive for fun without catching anything.

Steve is normally diving for less than 340 yen Matt...

Thomas

 

[Kim]

Everywhere in Kyushu is free as far as I know - also Yamaguchi. We seem to have good relations with the fishermen aroung here - they don't seem to mind divers at all. As long as you don't collect urchins or other types of shellfish they don't mind. If you did and you got caught you'd probably face a criminal prosecution for theft. Personally I find the whole concept of dividing up the ocean as if it's land very peculiar - I've never experienced it anywhere else.
Okinawa also is free as far as I know - although I normally dive there from a boat so I suppose there could be local fees built in that I'm not aware of.

 

[Mar Scuba]

Yeah, right, Thomas.

Steve doesn't pay any money for air fills?

 

[Titan]

I think Steve's basic point is a valid one. In practice, at least as far as Izu is concerned Matt is correct, however I don't think anyone has appointed the Fishermen's collectives guardians of the sea. Its rather more a case of because they are virtually able to enforce it, they've assumed ownership. And since this is Japan and its too much hassel no one is prepared to challenge that. I suspect that if we actually researched the legal position and bylaws in each municipality we would discover that at best the Fishermen's collectives are analogous to sqatters.

I don't advocate buying boats and challenging this head on though. That would only start an escalating cycle that would ultimately end in someone getting hurt. The problem is one of competition, or lack of it. Actually its all there in that word "collective". If you can break down control of the harbours and the boat operations by getting individual fishermen to compete with each other for business I think the system would collapse quite quickly.

I also believe there are ways to do this, but enough for now. Lets see if this gets anyone else thinking first.

Titan

 

[dcpac]

I wonder how much the dive operators have to kick down to the Fishermen Yakuza?Could you imagin if you started a shop and did not have to kick down.