vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #528 / Business / Reading article...

A delegation of Japan’s Akita Prefecture will visit the port of Zarubino in Primorye’s Khasansky County to assess its potential for launching a direct cargo shipping line with the port of Akita, was agreed July 21 at the delegation’s visit to Vladivostok, a press statement from Primorye’s Duma reported.

Opening a ferry line between the two ports would be of great importance for fostering trade relations between Japan and Russia, head of the delegation Fumikatsu Sato said at the delegation’s meeting with Vice-Head of Primorye’s Duma Dzhambulat Tekiyev.
During the meeting, attended by officials from Akita Prefecture and the city of Akita as well as heads of the prefecture’s transport companies, the participants discussed details and prospects for launching the international transportation route.

According to Tekiyev, Akita Prefecture possesses direct outlets to the Sea of Japan, which means vast opportunities for cooperation with the Russian Far East.

The attendees mentioned that Zarubino can serve as an intermediate point between the port of Akita and the major ports in China and Russia, the statement said.

Today, the port of Akita has a direct cargo shipping line with Pusan, S. Korea. The port of Zarubino is linked with a direct cargo ferry line to the S. Korean port of Sokcho. Another actively used ferry line is the route between Vladivostok and Japanese port of Toyama. Currently, Primorye and Japan are holding talks on opening a ferry shipping line between Zarubino and Japanese port of Niigata.

Akita Prefecture is located in the north of Japan’s Honshu Island. The prefecture’s capital is Akita, which has been Vladivostok’s sister city since 1992.