Fishing rules in Yamanashi

Legal gear

We have not transcribed Yamanashi’s gear table yet.

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.

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 Yamanashi 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

We have not transcribed Yamanashi’s minimum sizes and closed seasons yet. That is a gap in this page, not an absence of rules — every prefecture sets them, and taking an undersized fish is an offence whether or not we list the figure. Ask the prefecture or the cooperative before you keep anything.

Cooperatives that sell a permit online

10 in Yamanashi. Buying before you travel matters: on many rivers the price doubles if you buy it on the bank.

Who holds the fishing right

17 cooperatives on record in Yamanashi, from the fifth-class fishery rights and permit rules the prefecture publishes by law. A right names the waters and the species it covers — outside that list no cooperative permit is required, though national and prefectural rules still are.

• Kyohoku Fishery Cooperative 峡北漁業協同組合内共第1号Upper Kamanashi / Kyohoku area遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和7年4月1日) published by the prefecture
• Yamanashi Chuo Fishery Cooperative 山梨中央漁業協同組合内共第2号Central Yamanashi rivers遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和8年4月1日) published by the prefecture
• Kyoto (Kyōtō) Fishery Cooperative 峡東漁業協同組合内共第3号Eastern Yamanashi rivers遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和6年1月1日) published by the prefecture
• Fujikawa Fishery Cooperative 富士川漁業協同組合内共第4号Fuji River遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和6年1月1日) published by the prefecture
• Hayakawa Fishery Cooperative 早川漁業協同組合内共第5号Haya River — has a catch-and-release and no-take map遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和7年4月1日) published by the prefecture
• Tabagawa Fishery Cooperative 丹波川漁業協同組合内共第6号Taba River遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和7年5月1日) published by the prefecture
• Kosuge Fishery Cooperative 小菅村漁業協同組合内共第7号Kosuge village waters遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和8年6月1日) published by the prefecture
• Katsuragawa Fishery Cooperative 桂川漁業協同組合内共第8号Katsura River遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和6年4月1日) published by the prefecture
• Tsuru Fishery Cooperative 都留漁業協同組合内共第9号Tsuru area遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和7年4月1日) published by the prefecture
• Akiyama Fishery Cooperative 秋山漁業協同組合内共第10号Akiyama River遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和8年1月1日) published by the prefecture
• Shibokusa Fishery Cooperative 忍草漁業協同組合内共第11号Shibokusa area遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和6年1月1日) published by the prefecture
• Doshi Fishery Cooperative 道志村漁業協同組合内共第12号・第18号Doshi River遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和8年1月1日) published by the prefecture
• Yamanakako Fishery Cooperative 山中湖漁業協同組合内共第13〜17号Lake Yamanaka遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和8年3月27日) published by the prefecture
• Kawaguchiko Fishery Cooperative 河口湖漁業協同組合Lake Kawaguchi — one of our listed areas遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和6年1月1日) published by the prefecture
• Saiko Fishery Cooperative 西湖漁業協同組合Lake Sai遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和6年3月29日) published by the prefecture
• Shojiko Fishery Cooperative 精進湖漁業協同組合Lake Shoji遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和8年8月1日) published by the prefecture
• Motosuko Fishery Cooperative 本栖湖漁業協同組合Lake Motosu — lake trout confirmed here遊漁規則 PDF (effective 令和7年4月1日) published by the prefecture

Places we list here

• Lake KawaguchiFreshwater · Chubu · 1 h 50 from Shinjuku

What we do not hold, and who to ask

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

• This prefecture’s minimum sizes and closed seasons — not transcribed yet.
• 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.

Yamanashi Inland Fisheries Federation 山梨県漁連
055-277-7393
400-0121 甲斐市牛句518-1 水産会館

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