On 6 February 2023, during a meeting of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and a delegation of the Pacific Islands Forum, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan stated (2) the position Japan has adopted concerning the question of the preservation of lawfully established maritime baselines and zones in light of climate change-related sea-level rise:
“[W]ith regard to climate-change-related sea-level rise, Japan has decided to take the position that it is permissible to preserve the existing baselines and maritime zones established in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), notwithstanding the regression of coastlines and the PIF side welcomed Japan’s decision”
Foreign Minister Hayashi’s Meeting with the Delegation of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) (Japan MoFA, 6 February 2023)
See further, previous reporting USA, PIF, Fiji/Solomon Islands. The reference to “established in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)” suggests excessive baselines will not only remain unrecognised, but also that the outer limit of a coastal state’s entitlements may be subject to landward retreat following seal-level rise induced regression of the coastline until such time as consistent and fixed baselines are established thereof.
De Maribus 