Japan Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance comes into force

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK (Itar-Tass) - Russia-Japan Treaty on
Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters entered into force on Friday.
"It is expected to raise efficiency of work of law enforcement bodies of
the parties to suppress illegal activities across the Russian-Japanese
border," the public relations group of Sakhalin Coast Guard department of
the Federal Security Service (FSB) told Itar-Tass.
Under the document, the parties will provide mutual legal assistance
in criminal investigation: taking evidence, examination of persons,
location of persons and their identification, a notification inviting a
person to come to the territory of the requesting country, assistance in
proceedings related to seizure and arrest of proceeds from crime or crime
instruments, other means of their commission and other activities.
A Japanese delegation of the department for combating international
organised crime of the Maritime Security Agency recently arrived on
Sakhalin. Four officers of the department will stay on Sakhalin until
February 15.
"They will hold several meetings with the leadership of federal
law-enforcement and controlling bodies of Sakhalin, will discuss issues of
cooperation in combating international organised crime in the sphere of
smuggling marine biological resources, drugs and weapons," the Russian
Foreign Ministry's office in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk told Itar-Tass.
Similar meetings of Japanese and Sakhalin region's security officials
are held not for the first time - they are cooperating, but the
information provided by Japan to law enforcement agencies of Sakhalin,
previously could not be used as evidence in criminal cases. In this
connection, the available information in respect of vessels violating the
laws of Russia remained unused. The Treaty between Russia and Japan on
Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, is expected to raise mutual
cooperation in this sphere to a qualitatively new level.