|
Tokyo: Fishermen across Japan went on a massive one-day strike on Tuesday to protest skyrocketing fuel prices, the latest blow to the country's foundering fishing industry.
The strike was the largest ever for the industry, involving 200,000 boats and 400,000 workers, organisers said.
More than 3,000 fishermen from across the country gathered in central Tokyo and marched around the fisheries ministry in protest.
"We ask that the government immediately implement emergency measures to ensure the survival of the fishing industry," said Ikuhiro Hattori, chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations.
The federation is asking for tax breaks on fuel and other financial support. "Fisherman have passed the limits of what they can do on their own," Hattori said.
As is often the case with strikes in Japan, the one-day work stoppage was largely symbolic. Fish prices at Tokyo's large Tsukiji fish market were normal on Tuesday, and wholesalers said they did not expect any dire effects.
"The difference between the price of fuel and the selling price of the fish I catch is too tight," said Masahito Shimura, a sardine fisherman who joined the protests from Shizuoka, 150 kilometers west of Tokyo.
This strike by Japanese fisherman is the latest in an international wave of protests by workers in fuel-intensive industries.
|
