ABSTRACT
As one of the busiest stretches of water in the world, and with a location close to the heart of an important trading and industrial bloc, a range of international issues impinge on the use and management of the Straits. Both the coastal states involved and the many user states, most notably Japan, have huge strategic and economic interests in the Straits. Issues such as traffic management, policing and naval use have all been subject to problems over the definition in international law of the Straits. Such issues are considered in this chapter; international management of environmental issues is considered in Chapter 10.
