This article analyses the Tokyo High Court’s decision of 18 December 2013 in the M/V Guanabara case, which was Japan’s first case on piracy under the Anti-Piracy Act of 2009. It was an appeal submitted by two Somali pirates, who were seized by US forces and transferred to Japan where they were convicted by the …More

The new Chinese fishing regulations, which were passed by the Hainan province in 2013 and went into effect in 2014, has exemplified the growing assertiveness of China and intensified the heated South China Sea disputes. The South China Sea has been a productive fishing ground and full of aquaculture resources. Nonetheless, in recent years, fishing …More

This article was prompted by the Italian Government’s recent decision to stop embarking vessel protection detachments (VPDs) on board Italian vessels. This decision was related to the well-known Enrica Lexie case, which involved a dispute between Italy and India regarding two Italian marines for the alleged killing of two Indian fishermen in 2012. Since 2010, …More

In recent years, China has created artificial islands (or ‘large constructions’) on several reefs located in the South China Sea, which the adjacent states also claim sovereignty over. Such acts have thus been regarded as a significant move by China to further expand its power and influence in this area and have again raised tensions …More