Law to Partially Amend the Law on the Territorial Sea (No. 73 of 1996).

This Law was passed so as to implement the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention. It introduces three important new elements into the regime established earlier by the Law on the Territorial Sea of 1977. Firstly, straight baselines are now "the low-water line, the straight baseline and the straight line drawn across the mouth of or within a bay, or across the mouth of a river...". Straight baselines shall be established by Cabinet Order (see Cabinet Order No. 206 of 1996). Secondly, this Law provides that Japanese law, including its penal provisions, shall apply to the exercise by civil servants of the right to hot pursuit. Thirdly, this Law establishes the contiguous zone, in accordance with article 33(1) of the LOS Convention, for the purposes of exercising jurisdiction with regard to customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary affairs. The contiguous zone is defined as the area, excluding the territorial sea, up to the line of 24 nautical miles (n.m.) from the baselines. Where such line extends beyond the median line from the base line, the zone shall comprise the area up to the median line, or another line where such line has been agreed upon between Japan and another State. The Law contains a unique provision whereby the Cabinet may extend the contiguous zone to the 24 n.m. line in cases where Japan has agreed to take measures in the above-mentioned areas together with a neighbouring State. The breadth of the territorial sea is still fixed at 12 n.m.