Tokyo - Japan's fishermen plan to go on a nationwide strike on Tuesday and suspend fishing by some 200,000 boats to demand that the government provide subsidies to offset rising fuel prices, media reports said Monday.

The strike was expected to be the largest ever by Japan's fishermen, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.

While the plan was for a one-day strike, some 2,100 unionists already began a two-day strike in western Japan and demonstrations were held in other regions, the daily said.

Fuel costs have tripled in five years, but the price of fish has not been affected because it is decided by fish market auctioning, according to a nationwide federation of Japan Fisheries Cooperatives. (dpa)