Japanese fishermen head off to Russian waters to gather kelp

Japanese fishermen head off to Russian waters to gather kelp

KUSHIRO, Japan - A fleet of Japanese fishing boats head toward the Russian-held Kaigara island off northeastern Hokkaido on June 1 to gather kelp, a giant seaweed extensively used in Japanese cooking. Sent off by their families who gathered at Cape Nosappu, about 250 Hokkaido fishing boats set off for the kelp grounds, about 3.7 kilometers away from Nosappu. Japanese fishermen paid 97.6 million yen to Russian authorities this year for the kelp-gathering rights. The amount of kelp to be gathered this season is set at 4,000 tons.

(4)Japan's H-2A rocket lifts off with 4 satellites

(4)Japan's H-2A rocket lifts off with 4 satellites

TANEGASHIMA, Japan - Japan's fourth H-2A rocket lifts off on Dec. 14 from the Tanegashima Space Center of the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) in Kagoshima Prefecture. The rocket later released into orbit the ADEOS2 satellite, which weighs about 3.7 tons and is the heaviest one ever carried by a Japanese-built rocket.

Japanese fishermen head off to Russian waters to gather kelp

Japanese fishermen head off to Russian waters to gather kelp

KUSHIRO, Japan - A fleet of Japanese fishing boats head toward the Russian-held Kaigara island off northeastern Hokkaido on June 1 to gather kelp, a giant seaweed extensively used in Japanese cooking. Sent off by their families who gathered at Cape Nosappu, about 250 Hokkaido fishing boats set off for the kelp grounds, about 3.7 kilometers away from Nosappu. Japanese fishermen paid 97.6 million yen to Russian authorities this year for the kelp-gathering rights. The amount of kelp to be gathered this season is set at 4,000 tons. (Kyodo)

(CORRECTED)(4)Japan's H-2A rocket lifts off with 4 satellites

(CORRECTED)(4)Japan's H-2A rocket lifts off with 4 satellites

TANEGASHIMA, Japan - Japan's fourth H-2A rocket lifts off on Dec. 14 from the Tanegashima Space Center of the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) in Kagoshima Prefecture. The rocket later released into orbit the ADEOS2 satellite, which weighs about 3.7 tons and is the heaviest one ever carried by a Japanese-built rocket. (Kyodo)