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Japan, on the other hand, claims that the islands were not under China's control prior to 1895, when Japan took control of the islands via the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Thus, Japan argues that the islands were not affected by the Potsdam Declaration nor by the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and that the islands are part of Japan's territory.<ref>Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS). (2000). {{Google books|6GOVS_0Zm6oC|''International Organizations and the Law of the Sea,'' p. 108.|page=108}}</ref>
Japan, on the other hand, claims that the islands were not under China's control prior to 1895, when Japan took control of the islands via the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Thus, Japan argues that the islands were not affected by the Potsdam Declaration nor by the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and that the islands are part of Japan's territory.<ref>Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS). (2000). {{Google books|6GOVS_0Zm6oC|''International Organizations and the Law of the Sea,'' p. 108.|page=108}}</ref>

==Maritime borders==
Difficulties have arisen about maritime boundaries in Northeast Asia, including the Senkakus and several other island groups.<ref>Valencia, Mark J. (2001). {{Google books|ZhXN8ILQCnIC|''Maritime Regime Building: Lessons Learned and Their Relevance for Northeast Asia,'' p. 87.|page=87}}</ref>

A number of English language sources discuss the Senkaku Islands using the term "territorial dispute," but the Japanese reject this [[framing (social sciences)|framing]] along with its implied consequences,<ref>[http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/renho-refers-to-senkakus-as-territorial-issue-but-later-retracts-remark "Renho refers to Senkakus as territorial issue, but later retracts remark,"] ''Japan Today.'' September 15, 2010; Fackler, Martin and Ian Johnson. [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/world/asia/20chinajapan.html "Arrest in Disputed Seas Riles China and Japan,"] ''[[The New York Times]].'' 19 September 2010.</ref> In other words, "[a]n ideal definition of territorial disputes must distinguish between disputes that are primarily over territory and those that merely have a territorial component ... [and] much of how an analyst views different kinds of territorial disputes is determined by the breadth of one's definition of the phenomenon."<ref>Koo, {{Google books|8Ac9hLAES18C|p. 2.|page=2}}.</ref>

The Senkakus are associated with several other overlapping maritime border claims in East Asian waters.<ref>[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/10/18/2010101801199.html "How Japan Views Territorial Claims to Disputed Islands,"] ''Choson Ilbo.'' October 18, 2010; Koo, Min Gyo (2009). {{Google books|8Ac9hLAES18C|''Disputes and Maritime Regime Building in East Asia,'' p. 2.|page=2}}.</ref> Japan has long maintained that the Senkaku Islands are an integral part of its territory; and therefore, no so-called "territorial dispute" exists with China.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20101022a1.html "Tokyo nixed joint Senkaku exploitation,"] ''Japan Times.'' October 22, 2010; [http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T100923004355.htm "Japan's Senkaku Islands--what's all the fuss about?''] ''Yomiuri Shimbun.'' September 10, 2010.</ref>

Disagreements about the causes of the Senkaku maritime border dispute are additional subjects for controversy.<ref>Yamada, Takao. [http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20101004p2a00m0na008000c.html "Keeping the big picture in sight in Senkaku Islands dispute,"] ''Mainichi Shimbun'' (Tokyo). October 4, 2010, citing 1972 book by [[Kiyoshi Inoue]], [http://www.worldcat.org/title/diaoyu-dao-li-shi-yu-zhu-quan/oclc/044016263 釣魚列島的歷史和主權問題] (''Diaoyu dao: li shi yu zhu quan, Historical Facts of Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Islands,'' 1972)</ref> Illustrative examples of disparate perspectives include:
{{dynamic list}}
* According to ''China Daily'', the territorial dispute is a disruptive mine planted by the United States into Sino-Japanese relations.<ref>Feng Zhaoku. [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/thinktank/2010-09/15/content_11303758.htm "Diaoyu dispute sowed by US,"] ''China Daily'' (Beijing). September 15, 2010; Tow, William T. (2001). {{Google books|u_yzShzLvPcC|Asia-Pacific strategic relations: seeking convergent security,'' p. 68.|page=68}}</ref>
* According to the ''New York Times'', some analysts frame all discussion about the islands' status within a broader pattern of Chinese territorial assertions.<ref name="fackler_nyt">Fackler, Martin and Ian Johnson. [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/world/asia/20chinajapan.html "Arrest in Disputed Seas Riles China and Japan,"] ''[[The New York Times]].'' 19 September 2010.</ref>
The historical record is a backdrop for each new incident in the unfolding history of these islands.<ref>Koo, {{Google books|8Ac9hLAES18C|''Disputes and Maritime Regime Building in East Asia,'' pp. 103-134.|page=103}}</ref> "Positional" border disputes encompass the a distinction between previously resolved and never-resolved controversies.<ref>Koo, {{Google books|8Ac9hLAES18C| p. 2.|page=2}}.citing Friedrich V. Kratochwil, Paul Rohrlich, Harpreet Mahajan. (1985). [http://www.worldcat.org/title/peace-and-disputed-sovereignty-reflections-on-conflict-over-territory/oclc/12550771 ''Peace and disputed sovereignty,''] p. 20.</ref>

Other nations closely monitor the evolution and development of events and arguments. Close attention to an unfolding narrative is narrowly focused on this relatively small section of the East China Sea; and the Senkaku Islands are also construed as a [[proxy war|proxy]] with profound implications for nations not directly involved.<ref>Chellaney, Brahma. [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6569541.cms "India-China: Let facts speak for themselves,"] ''The Economic Times'' (Mumbai). 17 September 2010.</ref>


==2010 collision incident==
==2010 collision incident==

Revision as of 15:18, 13 November 2010

"Diaoyutai" redirects here. For the Chinese state guesthouse, see Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

Senkaku Islands
Map
Other namesJapanese: 尖閣諸島
Chinese: 釣魚台列嶼; Chinese: 钓鱼岛及其附属岛屿
Pinnacle Islands
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates25°47′53″N 124°03′21″E / 25.79806°N 124.05583°E / 25.79806; 124.05583
Administration
Japan

The Senkaku Islands (尖閣諸島, Senkaku Shotō, variants: Senkaku-guntō[1] and Senkaku-rettō[2]), also known as the Diaoyu Islands or Diaoyutai Islands (simplified Chinese: 钓鱼岛及其附属岛屿; traditional Chinese: 釣魚台群島; pinyin: Diàoyútái Qúndǎo) or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. They are located roughly northeast of Taiwan, due west of Okinawa Island, and due north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands.

Japan controlled these islands from 1895 until her surrender at the end of World War II. The United States administered them as part of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands from 1945 until 1972, when they were reverted to Japan. Since 1971, they have also been claimed by both the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China. China has claimed discovery and administration between 16th century or earlier until 1895.[3]

The islands are a major issue in foreign relations between Japan and the PRC and between Japan and the ROC. Despite the complexity of relations between the two states, both the governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and People's Republic of China agree that the islands are part of Taiwan as part of Toucheng Township in Yilan County. The Japanese government regards these islands as a part of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture.

Names

The first recorded name of the islands, Diaoyu, used in books such as Voyage with a Tail Wind (simplified Chinese: 顺风相送; traditional Chinese: 順風相送; pinyin: Shǜnfēng Xiāngsòng) and Record of the Imperial Envoy's Visit to Ryūkyū (simplified Chinese: 使琉球录; traditional Chinese: 使琉球錄; pinyin: Shĭ Liúqiú Lù) date to 1403 and 1534, respectively. Adopted by the Chinese Imperial Map of the Ming Dynasty, both the Chinese name for the island group (Diaoyu) and the Japanese name for the main island (Uotsuri) both literally mean "angling".

The first published description of the islands in the West was brought to Europe by Isaac Titsingh in 1796. His small library of Japanese books included Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (三国通覧図説, An Illustrated Description of Three Countries) by Hayashi Shihei.[4] This book, which was published in Japan in 1785, described the Ryūkyū Kingdom.[5] In 1832, the Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland supported the posthumous abridged publication of Titsingh's French translation.[6]

The first reference to the islands in a book published in English was Edward Belcher's 1848 account of the voyages of HMS Sammarang [7] which anchored off Pinnacle Island in 1845.[8]

In 1870s and 1880s, the English name Pinnacle Islands was used by the British navy for the rocks adjacent to the largest island Uotsuri Jima/Diaoyu Dao (then called Hoa-pin-su); Kuba Jima/Huangwei Yu (then called Ti-a-usu); and Taishō Jima/Chiwei Yu.[9] The name "Pinnacle Islands" is used by some as an English-language equivalent to "Senkaku" or "Diaoyu".[10]

In 1900, when Tsune Kuroiwa, a teacher at the Okinawa Prefecture Normal School, visited the islands, he adopted the name Senkaku Retto (simplified Chinese: 尖阁列岛; traditional Chinese: 尖閣列島; pinyin: Jiāngéliè Dăo), literally Pinnacle Islands, to refer the whole island group, based on the British name. The first official document recording the name Senkaku Retto was by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nihon Gaiko Monjo (日本外交文書, Documents on Japanese Foreign Relations) in the 1950s. In Japanese, Sentō Shosho (尖頭諸嶼) and Senkaku Shosho (尖閣諸嶼) were translations used for these "Pinnacle Islands" by various Japanese sources. Subsequently, the entire island group came to be called Senkaku Rettō, which later evolved into Senkaku Shotō.

The collective use of the name "Senkaku" to denote the entire group began with the advent of the controversy in the 1970s.[11]

Geography

Diaoyu Dao/Uotsuri Jima (left), Bei Xiaodao/Kita Kojima and Nan Xiaodao/Minami Kojima (right)
Bei Xiaodao/Kita Kojima (left) and Nan Xiaodao/Minami Kojima (right)
Diaoyu Dao/Uotsuri Jima

The islands sit on the edge of the continental shelf of mainland Asia, and are separated from the Ryukyu Islands by the Okinawa Trough.

In ascending order of distances, the island cluster is

Japan put these islets under the administration of Okinawa whereas the People's Republic of China and Republic of China (Taiwan) see it as a part of Taiwan.

Diaoyu Dao/Uotsuri Jima, the largest island, has a number of endemic species such as the Mogera uchidai and Okinawa-kuro-oo-ari ant, but these have become threatened by domestic goats that were introduced to the island in 1978 and whose population has increased to over 300 since that time.

Amongst all islands, Nan Xiaodao/ Minami Kojima is one of the few breeding places of the rare Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus).

List of Constituent Islands
Chinese name Japanese name coordinates Area(km2) Highest elevation(m)
Diaoyu Dao (釣魚島) Uotsuri Jima (魚釣島)[13] 25°46′N 123°31′E / 25.767°N 123.517°E / 25.767; 123.517 4.32 383
Huangwei Yu (黃尾嶼) Kuba Jima (久場島)[14] 25°56′N 123°41′E / 25.933°N 123.683°E / 25.933; 123.683 1.08 117
Chiwei Yu (赤尾嶼) Taishō Jima (大正島)[15] 25°55′N 124°34′E / 25.917°N 124.567°E / 25.917; 124.567 0.0609 75
Nan Xiaodao (南小島) Minami Kojima (南小島)[16] 25°45′N 123°36′E / 25.750°N 123.600°E / 25.750; 123.600 0.4592 149
Bei Xiaodao (北小島) Kita Kojima (北小島)[17] 25°45′N 123°36′E / 25.750°N 123.600°E / 25.750; 123.600 0.3267 135
Da Bei Xiaodao (大北小島/北岩) Okino Kitaiwa (沖ノ北岩)[18] 25°49′N 123°36′E / 25.817°N 123.600°E / 25.817; 123.600 0.0183 nominal
Da Nan Xiaodao (大南小島/南岩) Okino Minami-iwa (沖ノ南岩)[19] 25°47′N 123°37′E / 25.783°N 123.617°E / 25.783; 123.617 0.0048 nominal
Fei Jiao Yan (飛礁岩/飛岩) Tobise (飛瀬)[20] 25°45′N 123°33′E / 25.750°N 123.550°E / 25.750; 123.550 0.0008 nominal

Dispute over island ownership

Main article: Senkaku Islands dispute

China and Taiwan claim that the islands have been a part of Chinese territory since at least 1534. They acknowledge that Japan took control of the islands in 1894 during the first Sino-Japanese War, through the signature of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. However, they argue that since the Potsdam Declaration (which Japan accepted as part of the San Francisco Peace Treaty ending its involvement in World War II) required that Japan relinquish control of all islands except for "the islands of Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine," that control of the islands reverted to the PRC or ROC at that point.

Japan, on the other hand, claims that the islands were not under China's control prior to 1895, when Japan took control of the islands via the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Thus, Japan argues that the islands were not affected by the Potsdam Declaration nor by the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and that the islands are part of Japan's territory.[21]

Maritime borders

Difficulties have arisen about maritime boundaries in Northeast Asia, including the Senkakus and several other island groups.[22]

A number of English language sources discuss the Senkaku Islands using the term "territorial dispute," but the Japanese reject this framing along with its implied consequences,[23] In other words, "[a]n ideal definition of territorial disputes must distinguish between disputes that are primarily over territory and those that merely have a territorial component ... [and] much of how an analyst views different kinds of territorial disputes is determined by the breadth of one's definition of the phenomenon."[24]

The Senkakus are associated with several other overlapping maritime border claims in East Asian waters.[25] Japan has long maintained that the Senkaku Islands are an integral part of its territory; and therefore, no so-called "territorial dispute" exists with China.[26]

Disagreements about the causes of the Senkaku maritime border dispute are additional subjects for controversy.[27] Illustrative examples of disparate perspectives include:

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
  • According to China Daily, the territorial dispute is a disruptive mine planted by the United States into Sino-Japanese relations.[28]
  • According to the New York Times, some analysts frame all discussion about the islands' status within a broader pattern of Chinese territorial assertions.[29]

The historical record is a backdrop for each new incident in the unfolding history of these islands.[30] "Positional" border disputes encompass the a distinction between previously resolved and never-resolved controversies.[31]

Other nations closely monitor the evolution and development of events and arguments. Close attention to an unfolding narrative is narrowly focused on this relatively small section of the East China Sea; and the Senkaku Islands are also construed as a proxy with profound implications for nations not directly involved.[32]

2010 collision incident

Main article: 2010 Senkaku boat collision incident

In September 2010, a Chinese ship collided with a patrol boat of the Japan Coast Guard near the Senkaku Islands. The trawler was taken by the Japan Coast Guard and the captain and crew were held in custody pending possible charges.[33][34] China strongly protested, and demanded an immediate release of the captain.[35] The crew was released on 13 September 2010, while the captain was held until 24 September, and none were charged. The incident disrupted official and non-official exchanges and activities between the two countries.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Senkaku-guntō, Japan, retrieved 2010-09-20.
  2. ^ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Senkaku-rettō, Japan, retrieved 2010-09-20.
  3. ^ Lee, Seokwoo. (2002). Territorial Disputes Among Japan, China and Taiwan Concerning the Senkaku Islands, pp. 10-13., p. 10, at Google Books
  4. ^ WorldCat, Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu; alternate romaji Sankoku Tsūran Zusetsu
  5. ^ Cullen, Louis M. (2003). A History of Japan, 1582-1941: Internal and External Worlds, p. 137., p. 137, at Google Books
  6. ^ Klaproth, Julius. (1832). San kokf tsou ran to sets, ou Aperçu général des trois royaumes, pp. 169-180., p. i, at Google Books
  7. ^ Suganuma, Unryu. (2001). Sovereign Rights and Territorial Space in Sino-Japanese Relations, pp. 87, 89-90, p. 87, at Google Books
  8. ^ Belcher, Edward. (1848). Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, pp. 316-318, 573., p. 316, at Google Books
  9. ^ Suganuma, p. 90., p. 90, at Google Books; Jarrad, Frederick W. (1873). The China Sea Directory, Vol. IV, pp. 141-142., p. 141, at Google Books
  10. ^ Hagström, Linus. (2005). Japan's China Policy: A Relational Power Analysis, p. 1., p. 1, at Google Books
  11. ^ Koo, Min Gyo (2009). Disputes and Maritime Regime Building in East Asia, p. 103 n2., p. 103, at Google Books citing Park (1973) "Oil under Troubled Waters: The Northeast Asia Seabed Controversy," 14 HILJ (Harvard International Law Journal) 212, 248-249; also Park, Choon-Ho. (1972)Continental Shelf Issues in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. Kingston, Rhode Island: Law of the Sea Institute, pp. 1-64.
  12. ^ Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrals (ACAP), Breeding site details: Agincourt/P'eng-chia-Hsu
  13. ^ Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), 魚釣島 (Uotsuri Jima).
  14. ^ GSI, 久場島 (Kuba Jima).
  15. ^ GSI, 大正島 (Taishō Jima).
  16. ^ Google Maps, 南小島 (Minami Kojima)
  17. ^ Google Maps, 北小島 (Kita Kojima); GSI, 北小島 (Kita Kojima).
  18. ^ GSI, 沖ノ北岩 (Okino Kitaiwa).
  19. ^ GSI, 沖ノ南岩 (Okino Minami-iwa).
  20. ^ GSI, 飛瀬 (Tobise).
  21. ^ Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS). (2000). International Organizations and the Law of the Sea, p. 108., p. 108, at Google Books
  22. ^ Valencia, Mark J. (2001). Maritime Regime Building: Lessons Learned and Their Relevance for Northeast Asia, p. 87., p. 87, at Google Books
  23. ^ "Renho refers to Senkakus as territorial issue, but later retracts remark," Japan Today. September 15, 2010; Fackler, Martin and Ian Johnson. "Arrest in Disputed Seas Riles China and Japan," The New York Times. 19 September 2010.
  24. ^ Koo, p. 2., p. 2, at Google Books.
  25. ^ "How Japan Views Territorial Claims to Disputed Islands," Choson Ilbo. October 18, 2010; Koo, Min Gyo (2009). Disputes and Maritime Regime Building in East Asia, p. 2., p. 2, at Google Books.
  26. ^ "Tokyo nixed joint Senkaku exploitation," Japan Times. October 22, 2010; "Japan's Senkaku Islands--what's all the fuss about? Yomiuri Shimbun. September 10, 2010.
  27. ^ Yamada, Takao. "Keeping the big picture in sight in Senkaku Islands dispute," Mainichi Shimbun (Tokyo). October 4, 2010, citing 1972 book by Kiyoshi Inoue, 釣魚列島的歷史和主權問題 (Diaoyu dao: li shi yu zhu quan, Historical Facts of Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Islands, 1972)
  28. ^ Feng Zhaoku. "Diaoyu dispute sowed by US," China Daily (Beijing). September 15, 2010; Tow, William T. (2001). Asia-Pacific strategic relations: seeking convergent security, p. 68., p. 68, at Google Books
  29. ^ Fackler, Martin and Ian Johnson. "Arrest in Disputed Seas Riles China and Japan," The New York Times. 19 September 2010.
  30. ^ Koo, Disputes and Maritime Regime Building in East Asia, pp. 103-134., p. 103, at Google Books
  31. ^ Koo, p. 2., p. 2, at Google Books.citing Friedrich V. Kratochwil, Paul Rohrlich, Harpreet Mahajan. (1985). Peace and disputed sovereignty, p. 20.
  32. ^ Chellaney, Brahma. "India-China: Let facts speak for themselves," The Economic Times (Mumbai). 17 September 2010.
  33. ^ Wallace, Rick (September 9, 2010). "Chinese fishing boat in diplomatic snare". The Australian. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  34. ^ "High-seas collisions trigger Japan-China spat". Agence France-Presse. Google. September 7, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  35. ^ Anna, Cara (September 22, 2010). "China premier threatens Japan over boat dispute". Associated Press. Yahoo! News. Retrieved September 22, 2010.

References

  • Belcher, Edward and Arthur Adams. (1848). Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, During the Years 1843-46: Employed Surveying the Islands of the Eastern Archipelago. London : Reeve, Benham, and Reeve. OCLC 192154
  • Findlay, Alexander George. (1889). A Directory for the Navigation of the Indian Archipelago and the Coast of China. London: R. H. Laurie. OCLC 55548028
  • Hagström, Linus. (2005). Japan's China Policy: A Relational Power Analysis. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415346795; OCLC 475020946
  • Inoue, Kiyoshi. (1972) Senkaku Letto /Diaoyu Islands The Historical Treatise. Kyoto: Daisan Publisher (出版社: 第三書館) (1996/10)「尖閣」列島―釣魚諸島の史的解明 [単行本]. ISBN 978-4807496129; also hosted in here for online reading (set to Shift-JIS character code), with English synopsis here. Chinese translation by Ying Hui, Published by Commercial Press Hong Kong (1973) 釣魚列島的歷史和主權問題 / 井上清著 ; 英慧譯, ISBN 9622574734.
  • Jarrad, Frederick W. (1873). The China Sea Directory, Vol. IV. Comprising the Coasts of Korea, Russian Tartary, the Japan Islands, Gulfs of Tartary and Amúr, and the Sea of Okhotsk. London: Hydrographic Office, Admiralty. OCLC 557221949
  • Lee, Seokwoo, Shelagh Furness and Clive Schofield. (2002). Territorial disputes among Japan, China and Taiwan concerning the Senkaku Islands. Durham: University of Durham, International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU). ISBN 9781897643501; OCLC 249501645
  • Suganuma, Unryu. (2000). Sovereign Rights and Territorial Space in Sino-Japanese Relations. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824821593; OCLC 170955369
  • Valencia, Mark J. (2001). Maritime Regime Building: Lessons Learned and Their Relevance for Northeast Asia. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. 10-ISBN 9041115803/13-ISBN 9789041115805; OCLC 174100966

Further reading

External links

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