Fishing Spot Japan

Fishing rules in Okinawa

What Okinawa adds on top of national law, and what we still do not hold for it. Rules stack downwards: the prefecture may restrict more than the nation, and a cooperative more than the prefecture. None may permit what a layer above forbids.

Legal gear

These are the gear a non-professional may use in Okinawa’s sea areas. The list is exhaustive: anything not shown here may not be used at all, which catches out visitors who assume a speargun or diving apparatus is merely restricted rather than banned.

Okinawa

●Hand line & rod fishing△Cast net○Trolling○Landing net○Scoop net○Fishing spear (excluding harpoons)○Rake / clam tool○Hand gathering
○ Permitted● Permitted, but lights / fish-attracting lamps are prohibited△ Permitted, but not from a vessel※ Permitted, but chumming is prohibited▲ Permitted, but chumming from a vessel is prohibited× Prohibited
Source: https://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/yugyo/y_kisei/kisoku/todo_huken/index.htmlAs of 2026-03-31✓ checked 2026-08-25

If you are not a Japanese national

Under the Act on the Regulation of Fishing Operations by Foreign Nationals (Act No. 60 of 1967), recreational fishing by foreign nationals in Japanese waters is limited to 'gathering or catching of aquatic animals or plants on a minor scale'. What you may use depends on the size of the boat you are on.

Method / gearShore (no vessel)Vessel under 3 GTVessel 3 GT or more
Rod fishing, handlineyesyesguide-only
Landing net, scoop net, fishing spear, clam rake or knifeyesyesguide-only
Cast netyesnono
Trollingn/ayesguide-only

On a vessel of 3 gross tons or more, a foreign national may fish ONLY when the trip is run by a Japanese vessel under the control of a Japanese fisher — that is, a registered charter (yugyosen) or fishing boat. Most serious offshore boats are over 3 GT, so for offshore fishing a licensed Japanese guide is not a convenience. It is the law.

Up to 3 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to ¥30,000,000, or both — for breaching the gear and method rules that apply specifically to foreign nationals.

This is national law and applies in Okinawa exactly as everywhere else. It sits on top of the prefecture’s gear list above — you need to clear both.

Size limits and closed seasons

Okinawa VERIFIED

Breaching the size limits or closed seasons — and possessing or selling anything taken in breach of them — carries up to 6 months' imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥100,000. Commission instructions carry up to 1 year or ¥500,000.

Applies to: Sea and inland. The source regulation covers both sea and inland waters. Cooperatives add further rules on rivers and lakes.

Closed seasons

Sea turtles (hawksbill, loggerhead, green)1 Jun – 31 JulTaking sea turtles is prohibited outright by commission instruction — up to 1 year or ¥500,000. Their eggs are protected too.
Giant clams (all species)1 Jun – 31 Aug
Spiny lobsters (all species)1 Apr – 31 Jul
Slipper lobsters1 Apr – 31 JulEgg-bearing individuals are protected all year.

May not be taken at or under this size

Hawksbill turtle25 cm plastron length or underTaking sea turtles is prohibited outright in any case.
Japanese eel13 cm total length or underGlass eel is also nationally protected.
Erabu sea krait60 cm total length or under
Spiny and slipper lobsters20 cm body length or under
Black-lip pearl oyster10 cm shell height or under
Winged pearl oyster10 cm shell height or under
Green turban13 cm shell height or under
Korean turban6 cm shell height or under
Trochus (sarasabatei, gintakahama)6 cm shell minor diameter or under
Crocus giant clam8 cm shell length or under
Bear paw, small and elongate giant clams15 cm shell length or under
Fluted giant clam20 cm shell length or under
Southern giant clam30 cm shell length or under

Prohibited methods

  • Sea — Taking reef-building coral of any kind (Rules art. 34) — up to 6 months or ¥100,000
  • Sea — Taking sea turtles or their eggs — up to 1 year or ¥500,000
  • Sea — Taking sea cucumber (all species) and glass eel — nationally protected, up to 3 years or ¥30,000,000
  • Sea — Breaking reef rock, or taking sand, live rock or coral rubble from the water (Rules art. 39)
  • Kabira protected water, Ishigaki — Everything except fin fish, octopus, squid and hitoegusa seaweed
  • Nagura protected water, Ishigaki — Everything
  • Six passages in the Yaeyamas — All aquatic life, during the third and fourth lunar months — a spawning closure for grouper and emperor, in force since April 2021. Up to 1 year or ¥500,000

Gear for non-professionals is set by Rules art. 37; anything outside that list is an offence. A spear must have a fixed head — a rubber-powered one is only allowed if the shaft stays in your hand. Common Fishery Rights here cover giant clam, green turban, horned turban, top shell, strawberry conch, three species of octopus, collector urchin, spiny lobster, sea cucumber, mozuku, hijiki and aosa.

Local committee instructions

  • Coral trout (sujiara) under 40 cm and blackspot tuskfish (shirokurabera) under 35 cm are size-restricted around Okinawa Island. Note this instruction binds commercial fishers; the prefecture says applying it to recreational anglers is under consideration. Treat the sizes as the standard to follow regardless.
  • Deep-water snapper grounds are closed to everything except trolling, in defined areas and periods — up to 1 year or ¥500,000.
  • Taking sand, live rock or coral rubble from the shore is also restricted, under the coastal authority rather than fisheries rules.
Source: Okinawa Prefecture Fisheries Division — rules on taking aquatic life (revised July 2022). The size chart is illustrated; figures were read from the rendered page rather than extracted as text. https://www.pref.okinawa.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/011/225/20220712saihorule.pdf✓ checked 2026-08-28

Places we list here

What we do not hold, and who to ask

Being explicit about the gap is the point of this page. What is missing:

  • Sea-area and inland committee directives, which close specific waters or periods. We hold these for a few prefectures only.
  • Port and municipal rules. Posted on signs at the water, in Japanese, and published nowhere centrally.

National rules apply on top of everything here — see Before you fish. How every figure is graded is set out in Data & sources.