On December 13, Russian border guards detained four Japanese fishing vessels for poaching near the South Kuril Islands, a former Japanese territory, off Russia's Pacific Coast.
"The court has found the captains guilty of border violations, sentencing them to a fine of 100,000 rubles ($4,117)," a spokesperson said.
The court also ruled to return to the four captains their respective vessels.
Under Russian law, district or local prosecutors can protest the decision in the next 10 days.
Confrontations over poaching between Russian authorities and Japanese fishing vessels are frequent in Russia's Pacific waters. Last August, a Japanese fisherman was shot dead near the Kuril Islands when Russian border guards opened fire at his boat after it refused to stop.
Russia and Japan have contested the ownership of the Kuril Islands for over 60 years, a dispute that has kept the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty after World War II.
