The Senkaku Islands (尖 閣 諸 島, Senkaku Shotō?), also known as Diaoyutai Islands (simplified Chinese Simplified Chinese Characters are one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. The government of the People's Republic of China has promoted them for use in printing in an attempt to increase literacy. They are officially used in the People's Republic of China (Mainland China) and Singapore: 钓 鱼 台 群 岛; traditional Chinese Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of the two standard sets of printed Chinese characters, the other being simplified Chinese characters. The modern shapes of traditional Chinese characters first appeared with the emergence of the clerical script during the Han Dynasty, and have been more or less stable since the 5th century The retronym: 釣 魚 台 群 島; pinyin Pinyin , or more formally Hanyu Pinyin (汉语拼音 / 漢語拼音), is currently the most commonly used romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hànyǔ (汉语 / 漢語) means the Chinese language, and Pīnyīn (拼音) means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound". The system is now: Diàoyútái Qúndǎo, literally "angling platform islands"), or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession or control of land by one state after it has conquered it from a former state no longer currently recognized by the occupying power, uninhabited islands An island or isle (/ˈaɪl/) is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, /ˈaɪ.ət/. There are two main types of islands: continental islands and oceanic currently controlled by Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters which make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is, but also claimed by both the Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has transformed from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it enjoys de facto relations with many other and the People's Republic of China b. ^ Information for mainland China only. Hong Kong and Macau are excluded. In addition, the territories under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, are also excluded as part of Taiwan Province Taiwan Province of the Republic of China . The Tiaoyutai Islands to the northeast of the main island of Taiwan, claimed by the ROC as part of Ilan County are too small to be shown, Toucheng Township Toucheng is a township in the northern coast of Taiwan. It is administered as a part of Yilan County in Taiwan Province of the Republic of China in Yilan County Yilan County is a county in Northeastern Taiwan. Its name comes from the aboriginal Kavalan tribe. Yilan is officially administered as a county of Taiwan. The islands are located roughly northeast of Taiwan, due west of Okinawa Okinawa Prefecture is one of Japan's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of the largest and most populous island, Okinawa, and due north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyūshū in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin pronunciation Liuqiu. They in the East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km². In China, the sea is called the East Sea.

The islands' status has emerged as a major issue in foreign relations between the People's Republic of China and Japan China and Japan have been separated by only a narrow strip of water. China has strongly influenced Japan with its writing system, architecture, culture, religion, philosophy, and law. When Western countries forced Japan to open trading in the mid-nineteenth century, Japan moved towards modernization , viewing China as an antiquated civilization, and between Japan and the Republic of China Japan-Taiwan relations are guided by the 1972 Japan-PRC Joint Communique. Since the joint Communique, Japan has maintained non-governmental, working-level relations with Taiwan. The Japanese government regards these islands as a part of Okinawa prefecture Okinawa Prefecture is one of Japan's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of the largest and most populous island, Okinawa, Former President of Republic of China Lee Teng-hui also clarifys the land of the Senkaku Islands belongs to Okinawa.[1] While the complexity of the PRC-ROC relation Cross-Strait relations refers to the relations between mainland China, which sits to the west of the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan, which sits to the east; especially the relations between their respective governments, the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) has affected efforts to demonstrate Chinese sovereignty over the islands, both governments agree that the islands are part of Taiwan Taiwan , also known as Formosa (Chinese: 福爾摩沙; from Portuguese: (Ilha) Formosa, meaning "beautiful (island)"), is the largest island of the Republic of China (ROC) in East Asia. Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China. Since the end of World War II in 1945, the island group has, which is administered by the ROC The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has transformed from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it enjoys de facto relations with many other.

Contents

Naming

Diaoyutai Islands

The first recorded naming of the islands dated back to the Ming Dynasty The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming (simplified Chinese: 大明国; traditional Chinese: 大明國; pinyin: Dà Míng Guó, also anachronistically simplified Chinese: 大明帝国; traditional Chinese: 大明帝國; pinyin: Dà Míng Dìguó), was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led of China (14th-17th century) in books such as Voyage with the Tail Wind (順風相送), Journey to Lew Chew (使琉球錄). The Chinese Imperial Map of the Ming Dynasty also used Diaoyudao Islands.

The Chinese Chinese or the Sinitic language (simplified Chinese: 汉语; traditional Chinese: 漢語; pinyin: Hànyǔ; simplified Chinese: 华语; traditional Chinese: 華語; pinyin: Huáyǔ; simplified Chinese: 中国话; traditional Chinese: 中國話; pinyin: Zhōngguóhuà; or Chinese: 中文; pinyin: Zhōngwén) is a language family consisting of name for the island group (Diaoyu) and the Japanese Japanese (日本語?, [nihonɡo] ) is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic (or Japanese-Ryukyuan) language family. There are a number of proposed relationships with other languages, but none of them have gained unanimous acceptance. Japanese is an agglutinative name for the main island (Uotsuri) both literally mean "Angling Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached by a line to a fishing rod. A bite indicator such as a float is sometimes used. The rod is usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook can be dressed with lures or bait".

Pinnacle Islands

In the 19th century, the Pinnacle Islands or Pinnacle Group was an English-language name used for the rocks adjacent to, but not including, the largest island Uotsuri Jima/Diaoyu Dao (then called Hoa-pin-su). Neither Kuba Jima/Huangwei Yu (then called Ti-a-usu) nor Taishō Jima/Chiwei Yu (then called "Raleigh Rock") were part of the Pinnacle Islands either.[2][3][4]

However, in recent years the name "Pinnacle Islands" has come to be used to refer to the entire island group, as an English-language equivalent to "Diaoyu" or "Senkaku".[5][6]

Senkaku Islands

In the late 19th century, 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 (including Uotsuri Jima/Diaoyu Dao and all the others) came to be called Senkaku Rettō, which later evolved into Senkaku Shotō.[7]

Geography

The islands group

The islands sit on the edge of the continental shelf of mainland Asia, and are separated from the Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyūshū in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin pronunciation Liuqiu. They by the Okinawa Trough The Okinawa Trough between Japan and Taiwan marks the edge of the continental shelf of the East China Sea. It is a backarc basin formed by extension within the continental lithosphere behind the far deeper Ryukyu Trench-arc system. It has a large section more than 3,300 feet (1,000 metres) deep and a maximum depth of 8,912 feet (2,716 metres). The. Japan argues that these islets are part of the Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyūshū in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin pronunciation Liuqiu. They. They are 170 kilometers The kilometre , symbol km is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in 1⁄ 299,792.458 of a second (106 mi A mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, a mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 5,280 feet or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters (6,076.12 ft). There are many other historical miles and similar units in other systems translated as miles in English, varying between one and fifteen kilometers) north of Ishigaki Island Ishigaki is a city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It includes the Ishigaki island and the disputed Senkaku Islands (Diaoyutai Islands) territory, Japan; 186 km (116 mi) northeast of Keelung Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders Taipei County and forms the Taipei-Keelung metropolitan area, along with the City and County of Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport (after Kaohsiung). Keelung is currently, Taiwan; and 410 km (255 mi) west of Okinawa Island Okinawa Island is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of 1,201.03 square kilometers (463.7 sq mi).

The group is made up of five small non-volcanic islands:

Uotsuri Jima/Diaoyu Dao

Aerial view of Diaoyu Dao, Diaoyu Tai or Uotsuri Jima

Uotsuri Jima (魚釣島[8]) or Diaoyudao (釣魚島[9]) is the largest island of the Senkaku Islands. The Island located at 25°44′39″N 123°28′26″E / 25.74417°N 123.47389°E has an area of 4.3 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi) and a highest elevation of 383 metres (1,260 ft).[10]

Uotsuri jima/Diaoyudao has a number of endemic Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, habitat type, nation, or other defined zone. To be endemic to a place or area means that it is found only in that part of the world and nowhere else. For example, many species of lemur are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Physical, species such as the Senkaku mole (Nesoscaptor 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.[11]

Kuba Jima/Huangwei Yu

Kuba Jima (久場島[8]) or Huangwei Yu (黃尾嶼[9]) is located at 25°55′23″N 123°40′59″E / 25.92306°N 123.68306°E has an area of 1.08 square kilometers (0.4 sq mi) and a highest elevation of 117 meters (384 ft).[12]

Taishō Jima/Chiwei Yu

Taishō Jima (大正島[8]) or Chiwei Yu (赤尾嶼[9]) is located at 25°55′18″N 124°33′34″E / 25.92167°N 124.55944°E has an area of 0.609 square kilometers (0.2 sq mi) and a highest elevation of 75 meters (246 ft).[13] Both the People's Republic of China b. ^ Information for mainland China only. Hong Kong and Macau are excluded. In addition, the territories under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, are also excluded and Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has transformed from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it enjoys de facto relations with many other claim it as their island (easternmost?[citation needed]).

The US Navy The United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 284 ships in active service and more than 3,700 aircraft. The U.S. Navy is the largest in used Kuba Jima/Huangwei Yu and Taisho Jima/Chiwei Yu as maneuver areas after World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict between 1939 and 1945, which involved most of the world's nations, including all great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. The war involved the mobilisation of over 100 million military personnel, making it the most widespread war in.

Kita Kojima/Bei Xiaodao

Kita Kojima (北小島) or Bei Xiaodao is located at 25°43′48″N 123°32′33″E / 25.73°N 123.5425°E and has an area of 0.31 square kilometres (77 acres) and a highest elevation of 125 metres (410 ft).[14]

Nan Xiaodao/Minami Kojima

Minami Kojima or Nan Xiaodao (南小島) is located at 25°43′21″N 123°33′07″E / 25.7225°N 123.55194°E and has an area of 0.40 square kilometres (99 acres) and a highest elevation of 139 metres (460 ft).

This island is one of the few breeding places of the rare Short-tailed Albatross The Short-tailed Albatross or Steller's Albatross, Phoebastria albatrus, is a large rare seabird from the North Pacific. Although related to the other North Pacific albatrosses, it also exhibits behavioural and morphological links to the albatrosses of the Southern Ocean. It was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas from skins (Phoebastria albatrus).

Other islands

There are also three larger rocks:

Territorial dispute

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be and removed. (January 2008)

The islands were claimed by Japan in January 1895 and were registered in the land registry of Yaeyama-gun (administrative center: Ishigaki Island) in 1896. They are currently administered by Japan as a part of Ishigaki City Ishigaki is a city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It includes the Ishigaki island and the disputed Senkaku Islands (Diaoyutai Islands) territory, Okinawa prefecture Okinawa Prefecture is one of Japan's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of the largest and most populous island, Okinawa. According to both the People's Republic of China b. ^ Information for mainland China only. Hong Kong and Macau are excluded. In addition, the territories under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, are also excluded (PRC) and the Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has transformed from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it enjoys de facto relations with many other on Taiwan Taiwan , also known as Formosa (Chinese: 福爾摩沙; from Portuguese: (Ilha) Formosa, meaning "beautiful (island)"), is the largest island of the Republic of China (ROC) in East Asia. Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China. Since the end of World War II in 1945, the island group has (ROC), China's sovereignty is dated as early as the 15th century. After the start of the dispute, Republic of China registered the islands as part of Taiwan Province Taiwan Province of the Republic of China . The Tiaoyutai Islands to the northeast of the main island of Taiwan, claimed by the ROC as part of Ilan County are too small to be shown (Daxi Village (大溪里), Toucheng Township Toucheng is a township in the northern coast of Taiwan. It is administered as a part of Yilan County in Taiwan Province of the Republic of China, Yilan County. The postal code for Diaoyutai Islands in Chunghwa Post's system is 290.

Beginning of the dispute

The dispute appears to date from the 1968 announcement by two Japanese scientists that there may be large reservoirs of oil under the continental shelf below the islands.[18] The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea gives a 200 nautical mile "exclusive economic zone" and sovereignty over the seabed resources therein, meaning that whoever owned the Senkakus would gain economic control over important seabed resources.

From the end of World War II until 1972, the United States occupied Okinawa, and controlled the islands, whose ownership was undisputed until 1970, when both the PRC and the ROC began to claim that the disputed islands were given to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 and should therefore be returned to Taiwan (after the end of World War II in 1945, all "unequal treaties" forced on China were declared void,.[dubious – discuss] including the Treaty of Shimonoseki, concluded in 1895). In 1969, the US expressed its intention to hand over the occupied territories, including the disputed islands, to Japan.[19] Both the PRC and ROC governments protested and reiterated their claim to sovereignty over the islands. The ROC made the official announcement on 11 June 1971, followed by the PRC on 30 December. However, the United States handed over the disputed islands to Japan as of May 15, 1972,[20] even though they have not taken a definitive position on the sovereignty of the territory, considering the islands an "administrative territory" of Japan.[citation needed]

Chinese claims

The Chinese claim to Senkaku Islands, in brief, proceeds as follows: the islands were known to the Chinese at least (and possibly as early as 770 BC ~ 221 BC, from a passage in the Shan Hai Jing, chapter "Haineibei jing"[21]) since the Ming Dynasty, and were controlled by the Qing Dynasty along with Taiwan; they were ceded to Japan under an Unequal Treaty in 1895 along with Taiwan; Between 1895 and 1945, Japan administered the islands as part of Taiwan; Unequal Treaties are null and void[citation needed]; however, more importantly, none of the Allies recognized any transfer of the territorial sovereignty of either Taiwan or any nearby islands to the ROC at any time during the 1940s or 1950s. In a 1959 court case in the United States, the US State Dept. was specifically quoted as maintaining that: " . . . that the sovereignty of Formosa has not been transferred to China . . . " and that "Formosa is not a part of China as a country, at least not as yet, and not until and unless appropriate treaties are hereafter entered into. Formosa may be said to be a territory or an area occupied and administered by the Government of the Republic of China, but is not officially recognized as being a part of the Republic of China."[22]

After WWII, due to the civil war between competing PRC and ROC factions in China, both parties did not place their focus on the islands to avoid further disputes.

From 1945 to 1971, the Chinese remained undefined positions to claim back the sovereignty and administration on the islands. Not until 1971 when the US expressed its intention to hand over the disputed islands to Japan, both the PRC and ROC governments protested and reiterated their sovereignty over the islands. The Chinese claim came late and Japan used this chance to exercise administration on the islands.

Ming Dynasty claim

China claims that the islands were within the Ming Dynasty's sea-defense area and are a part of Taiwan.[23] According to the Chinese, China's sovereignty over the islands is dated to early 15th century, during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. The name Diaoyutai first appeared in 1403 in the Chinese book Voyage with the Tail Wind (順風相送), which recorded the names of the islands that voyagers had passed on a trip from Fujian to the Ryukyu Kingdom. By 1534, all the major islets of the island group had been identified and named in the book Record of the Imperial Envoy to Ryukyu(使琉球錄).[23]

Qing Dynasty claim

From 1624 until 1662, Taiwan and some of its surrounding islands, though not the Senkakus, were controlled by the Dutch as a base for commerce. In 1662, the Dutch were driven out by ex-Ming Dynasty general Zheng Chenggong (more popularly known as Koxinga). Zheng Chenggong and his successors established the Kingdom of Tungning and controlled the area until 1683. That year, Zheng's grandson Zheng Keshuang was defeated by Qing Dynasty forces led by Admiral Shi Lang. From then on, Qing Dynasty China gained effective control over Taiwan and its surrounding islands, including the islands in dispute today.[24]

Unequal Treaties

After losing the First Sino-Japanese War, Qing China signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki on 17 April 1895. This Unequal Treaty ceded Taiwan and its surrounding islands to Japan. The Chinese governments see the disputed islands as having been included in the islands ceded to Japan by the treaty, because of the historical evidence discussed above, even though the Treaty did not explicitly enumerate all the islands ceded under it.

On this basis, they argue for Chinese sovereignty over the islands for two reasons. First, that all the Unequal Treaties are null and void[citation needed] and thus the islands are still part of Taiwan Province of China.[25] Secondly, that since the disputed islands were ceded along with Taiwan in 1895, therefore when Japan returned to China all territories it had obtained from China since the First Sino-Japanese War at the end of World War II, the disputed islands were returned along with Taiwan to China.

However, the United States, as principal victor over Japan, has consistently maintained that there was no "return" of island territories to China after the close of hostilities in WWII, either due to the Japanese surrender ceremonies, or according to the specifications of the post-war treaties. The Starr Memorandum of the US State Dept., issued in Oct. 1971, is often quoted as an authoritative reference on this subject.[26]

Tokyo court ruling

China also asserted that in 1944, the Tokyo court ruled that the islands were part of Taihoku Prefecture (Taipei Prefecture), following a dispute between Okinawa Prefecture and Taihoku Prefecture. However, the assertion was solely based on a "claim" by the president of the fishermen's association of Keelung city in 4 August 1971. The primary source of this paragraph can be found in the journal "Modern China Studies", Issue 1, 1997 (in Simplified Chinese).[27]

Japanese claims

The Japanese claim to the islands briefly proceeds as follows: the islands were not inhabited up to 1895; several months before the cession of Taiwan by the Qing Dynasty to Japan, Japan had already claimed and incorporated the islands into Japanese territory; as a result, the islands remained Japanese territory and would not be affected by the retro-cession of Taiwan in 1945; though the islands were controlled by the United States as occupying power between 1945 and 1972, Japan has since 1972 exercised administration over the islands. According to Japanese government, PRC and ROC have come to claim the sovereignty since a submarine oil field was discovered near these islands.

Formal incorporation

Japan claims that after the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government conducted surveys of the islands beginning in 1885 confirming no evidence that the uninhabited islands had been under Chinese control, though this conflicts with the earlier Chinese claim of the islands during the Qing Dynasty. At the time of this survey, Japan did not formally declare a claim to the islands. Instead, it waited until 14 January 1895, during the middle of the First Sino-Japanese War, to do this. Just three months before its military victory in the war and the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Japan erected a marker on the islands to formally incorporate them as its territory. This decision was not made public until 1950, however.[28] Four of the islands were subsequently borrowed and developed by the Koga family with the permission of the Japanese government.

History of Ming

Japanese scholars claim that neither China nor Ryukyu had recognized sovereignty over the uninhabited islands. Therefore, they claim that Chinese documents only prove that Kumejima, the first inhabited island reached by the Chinese, belonged to Okinawa. Kentaro Serita (芹田健太郎) of Kobe University points out that the official history book of the Ming Dynasty compiled during the Qing Dynasty, called the History of Ming (明史), describes Taiwan in the "Stories of Foreign Countries" (外国列传). Thus, China did not control the Senkaku Islands or Taiwan during the Ming Dynasty.[29] The contrary viewpoint is that this evidence goes only to verify the fact that the early Qing Dynasty (which compiled the book) saw Taiwan and its surrounding islands as outside its territory. For 39 years between the end of the Ming Dynasty and the conquest of Taiwan by the Qing Dynasty, Taiwan was indeed ruled by a separate regime, the Kingdom of Tungning which swore loyalty to the Ming. Such evidence is thus not relevant to the Qing Dynasty's attitude towards the islands after its conquest of Taiwan.

A Letter from a Chinese Diplomat

In a letter purportedly sent to Japanese fishermen, who rescued a number of shipwrecked Chinese in 1920, by a Chinese Consul in Nagasaki, representing the Beiyang Government, a warlord regime, reference was made to "Senkaku Islands, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, the Empire of Japan".[30] However this letter is written after the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895), under which the government of Qing Dynasty ceded Senkaku Islands to Japan as a part of Taiwan. The Treaty of Shimonoseki was nullified by the end of WW2.SeeTreaty of Shimonoseki andTreaty of Taipei[31][32]

Geography Textbook

According to the geography textbook published in Taiwan, where every textbook had to be officially approved by the government, clearly showed the islands as Japanese territories [33].

United States occupation

Japan claims that after World War II, the islands came under the United States occupation of Okinawa. During this period, the United States and the Ryūkyū Government administered the islands and the US Navy even used Kuba-jima and Taisho-jima as maneuver areas. In 1972, sovereignty over Okinawa, and arguably the surrounding islands, was handed back to Japan as part of the termination of United States Military Government jurisdiction over the Article 3 territories of the Treaty of San Francisco.

Recent developments

Oil drilling dispute

Japan has objected to Chinese development of natural gas resources in the East China Sea in an area where the two countries Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claims overlap. Japan claims a division of the EEZ on the median line between the countries' coastlines. About 40,000 square kilometers of EEZ are in dispute. China and Japan both claim 200 nautical miles EEZ rights, but the East China Sea width is only 360 nautical miles. China claims an EEZ extending to the eastern end of the Chinese continental shelf which goes deep into the Japanese EEZ beyond the median line.[35]

The specific development in dispute is China's drilling in the Chunxiao field, which is three miles west of the median line, but which Japan contends may be tapping natural gas reserves which extend past the median line. The Chunxiao gas field in Xihu Sag in the East China Sea is estimated to hold reserves of more than 1.6 tcf of natural gas and is expected to become a major producer in the next ten years. Commercial operation was expected to begin in mid-2005 at a production rate of 70 bcf per year, rising to 282 bcf by 2010. Sinopec Star has reserves of 7 tcf of gas, 1.9 tcf of which is held in the Chunxiao area.[35]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Senkaku Islands

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Lee Teng-hui arrives in Japan". Taipei Times. 2009-09.05. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/09/05/2003452834. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  2. ^ Findlay, A.G. (1889). A Directory for the Navigation of the Indian Archipelago and the Coast of China. London: Richard Holes Laurie. pp. 1135.
  3. ^ Navigating Lieutenant Frederick W. Jarrad, R.N. (1873). The China Sea Directory, Vol IV.. J.D.Potter for the Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, London. pp. 141–142. http://books.google.com/books?id=LvoGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA141&dq=Hoa-pin-su. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  4. ^ Unryu Suganuma (2000). Sovereign Rights and Territorial Space in Sino-Japanese Relations. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 95. ISBN 0824824938. http://books.google.com/books?id=vDpEiKR2osoC&pg=PA95&dq=Pinnacle+Islands. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  5. ^ Hagström, L. (2005). Japan's China Policy: A Relational Power Analysis. Oxford: Routledge.
  6. ^ Seokwoo Lee (2002). "Territorial Disputes among Japan, China and Taiwan concerning the Senkaku Islands". Boundary and Territory Briefing, Vol 3 No. 7.. International Boundaries Research Unit. pp. 1.
  7. ^ Unryu Suganuma (2000). Sovereign Rights and Territorial Space in Sino-Japanese Relations. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 89–92. ISBN 0824824938.
  8. ^ a b c 鞠, 德源. "第十一章 日本国窃踞中国海洋国土篇 - （16） 日本国窃土前后（窃土→放弃窃土→窃土再占）岛屿名称变异综览表" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2008-12-12. http://72.14.235.132/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cfdd.org.cn%2Fhtml%2Fdyd%2F11-12.html. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  9. ^ a b c "钓鱼诸屿名称变异表" (in Simplified Chinese) (Doc). Archived from the original on Unknown date. http://203.208.37.104/search?q=cache:f1N9DkJ9PBYJ:bbs.1931-9-18.org/attachment.php%3Faid%3D96164+%E9%92%93%E9%B1%BC%E8%AF%B8%E5%B1%BF%E5%90%8D%E7%A7%B0%E5%8F%98%E5%BC%82%E8%A1%A8&hl=zh-CN&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=cn&st_usg=ALhdy29SvFNh1FXqN_HvzGCk-YlNyiCJJg. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  10. ^ Japanese Map 1
  11. ^ Yokohata, Y. (1999). "Urgent appeal for the conservation of the natural environment in Uotsuri-jima Island in Senkaku Islands, Japan". Recent advances in the biology of Japanese Insectivora. Proceedings of the Symposium on the biology of insectivores in Japan and on the wildlife conservation. Laboratory of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Education, Toyama University. pp. 79–87. http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~rmacarth/yokohata1999.html. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
  12. ^ Japanese Map 2
  13. ^ Japanese Map 3
  14. ^ Japanese Map 4
  15. ^ Japanese Map 6
  16. ^ Japanese Map 7
  17. ^ Japanese Map 8
  18. ^ John Tkacik ON TAIWAN: Clear signal needed on disputed isles, Taipei Times, 27 June 2008
  19. ^ Joint Statement by President Nixon and Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, 21 November 1969
  20. ^ Military Occupation and the San Francisco Peace Treaty
  21. ^ 鞠, 德源. "第三章钓鱼台列屿中国固有主权领土命名传承证据篇 - 丁：钓鱼台列屿中国固有主权领土历代名称沿革表 - 1" (in Chinese). 中国民间保钓联合会. Archived from the original on 2008-11-29. http://72.14.235.132/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cfdd.org.cn%2Fhtml%2Fdyd%2F3-6.html. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  22. ^ "Sheng v. Rogers". DC Circuit Court. http://www.taiwanbasic.com/nstatus/shengvs.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
  23. ^ a b "China's Diaoyu Islands Sovereignty is Undeniable", People's Daily, 25-05-2003. Retrieved 24-02-2007.
  24. ^ 中國領土釣魚台, DiaoyuIslands.org. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
  25. ^ Tzou, Byron N. (1990). China and International Law: The Boundary Disputes. Praeger/Greenwood. pp. 78. ISBN 0275934624.
  26. ^ "The Starr Memorandum". US State Dept.. http://www.taiwanbasic.com/nstatus/starr.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
  27. ^ http://www.chinayj.net/StubArticle.asp?issue=970111&total=56
  28. ^ http://english.people.com.cn/200305/25/eng20030525_117192.shtml
  29. ^ http://akebonokikaku.hp.infoseek.co.jp/page092.html
  30. ^ http://www.geocities.jp/tanaka_kunitaka/senkaku/testimonial1920.jpg
  31. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Shimonoseki
  32. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Taipei
  33. ^ 「国民中学地理教科書・第四冊(Geography textbook for national junior high schools)」January, 1970
  34. ^ A picture of the Senkaku Shinto shirine.
  35. ^ a b c d e GlobalSecurity.org:Senkaku
  36. ^ (ja) Kyodo News, 17 March 2006[1]
  37. ^ International Herald Tribune/Associated Press, 26 October 2006 "Activist ship from Hong Kong briefly enters Japan's waters in protest over islands"
  38. ^ (ja) Nihon Keizai Shimbun, 5 November 2006, "中国、東シナ海で軍事演習中に爆発事故"
  39. ^ Officials drop plan to visit Diaoyutais, Taipei Times 18 June 2008; for the video footage released by the boat crew, see, for example, here
  40. ^ "Taiwan fishing boat sunk by Japanese frigate"
  41. ^ "Taiwan protests as Japan holds fishing boat captain"
  42. ^ 聯合號船長晚間回國　劉揆要撤銷日本事務會 (Captain of the Lianhe returned to Taiwan tonight; Premier Liu wants to abolish Japan Affairs Association), China Times, Taipei 2008-06-13
  43. ^ Taiwan recalls top Japan rep as tensions rise over ship collision, Japan Today 15 June 2008
  44. ^ Officials drop plan to visit Diaoyutais, Taipei Times 18 June 2008
  45. ^ Japan apologises over Taiwan boat incident

References

External links

Territorial disputes in East, South, and Southeast Asia
Type Territory Currently Administered by Claimants
Land: Aksai Chin
Baekdu Mountain 2 2
Heixiazi/Bolshoy Ussuriysky (Eastern part)2 2
Indo-Bangladesh enclaves3
Kashmir3 2
Kachin State 2 1
Kayin State 1
Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands3
Mainland China 1
Outer Mongolia 2
Pamir Mountains3 2
Pattani 1
North Borneo (Sabah)2
Shan State 1
Sixty-Four Villages East of the River2 2
South Tibet (now Arunachal Pradesh of India) 2
Tannu Uriankhai (now Tuva Republic of Russia)2 2
Tibet (excluding South Tibet) 2 1
Trans-Karakoram Tract 2
Wa State 1
Islands and Waters: Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands
Kinmen
Kori Creek2
Liancourt Rocks 2
Macclesfield Bank
Matsu
Paracel Islands
South Ledge
Pratas Islands
Scarborough Shoal
Socotra Rock 2 2
Southern Kuril Islands
Spratly Islands3
Taiwan and Penghu2
Notes: 1Government in exile/exiled group. 2Inactive dispute. 3Divided among multiple claimants.

Categories: Islands of Japan | Disputed islands | Islands of China | Islands of Taiwan | Cross-Strait interactions | Archipelagoes of Japan

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