Bridging the Gap: The Taiwan–Japan Fisheries Agreement and Its Implications for Bilateral Fisheries Governance Challenges and Regional Security

ABSTRACT The East China Sea is one of the most politically contested maritime regions in Asia, where overlapping territorial claims, fisheries competition, and increasing maritime activities create persistent governance challenges. This study examines the governance role of the Taiwan–Japan Fisheries Agreement in shaping fisheries order in the southern East China Sea. Drawing on field interviews with fisheries stakeholders in Taiwan and Okinawa, together with policy documents and official statistics, the study analyzes how the institutional design and operational practices of the agreement function in a complex geopolitical environment. The findings show that the agreement has contributed significantly to stabilising fishing activities through the Taiwan–Japan Fisheries Commission, which serves as a bilateral institutional platform for regular consultations and expert‐level meetings where operational rules, fishing practices, and spatial arrangements are discussed and adjusted. Through this institutionalised dialogue, the two sides have gradually developed spatial governance arrangements that reduce operational conflicts between fishing fleets. However, the analysis also reveals that the current framework focuses primarily on conflict mitigation and operational coordination, while cooperation on fisheries resource management remains limited. In addition, evolving regional maritime security dynamics are introducing new governance challenges that extend beyond conventional fisheries management. The Taiwan–Japan Fisheries Agreement therefore illustrates a form of pragmatic maritime governance in disputed waters, demonstrating how functional cooperation can contribute to maintaining operational stability even in politically sensitive maritime areas.