Senkaku Islands dispute
[4] According to Lee Seokwoo, China started taking up the question of sovereignty over the islands in the latter half of 1970 when evidence relating to the existence of oil reserves surfaced.
[6] Japan argues that it surveyed the islands in the late 19th century and found them to be terra nullius (Latin: land belonging to no one); subsequently, China acquiesced to Japanese sovereignty until the 1970s.
[citation needed] In 1885, the Japanese Governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Nishimura Sutezo, petitioned the Meiji government, asking that it take formal control of the islands.
[12] However, Inoue Kaoru, the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, commented that the islands lay near to the border area with the Qing empire and that they had been given Chinese names.
[12] Mainland China and Taiwan both dispute the Japanese claim by citing Yamagata Aritomo's reasons and decisions to turn down the request to incorporate the islands in 1885.
The 10-page document titled "Draft outline on issues and arguments on parts concerning territories in the peace treaty with Japan"[27] says the Ryukyus "consist of three parts—northern, central, and southern.
[42] A 1968 academic survey undertaken by United Nations Economic Council for Asia and the Far East found possible oil reserves in the area, which many believe explains the emergence of Chinese claims,[43] a suggestion confirmed by statements made on the diplomatic records of the Japan-China Summit Meeting by Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972.
According to China, Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek failed to protest American decisions with regard to the disposition of the islands because he depended on the US for support.
This contradicts Beijing's claim that China have controlled Senkaku Islands since the Ming dynasty about 600 years ago and underlines Japan's position that they are an inherent part of this country's territory.
According to an official analysis prepared by the U.S. Army, "residual Sovereignty" meant that "the United States will not transfer its sovereign powers over the Ryukyu Islands to any nation other than Japan."
[81] In May 1971, a report compiled by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency said "[t]he Japanese claim to sovereignty over the Senkakus is strong, and the burden of proof of ownership would seem to fall on the Chinese".
The CIA also said in related documents that any dispute between Japan, China, and Taiwan over the islands would not have arisen, had it not been for the discovery around 1968 of potential oil reserves on the nearby continental shelf.
"[18] In June 1978, the United States Navy stopped using the Sekibi-Sho firing range off the coast of Taisho Island to avoid any potential confrontation between China and Japan, according to declassified government documents.
[89]: 201 In May 2013, the U.S. Department of Defense criticized the Chinese territorial claim in a report titled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2013.
"[91][92][93] In 2014, United States Pacific Commander Samuel J. Locklear said that he did not have sufficient resources to carry out a successful amphibious warfare campaign should the dispute lead to a war.
[110][111][better source needed]As of 2011[update], news organizations of various nations were monitoring developments and attempting to explain the causes of the crisis,[112] e.g., The historical record is a backdrop for each new incident in the unfolding chronology of these islands.
[74]: 255 Ultimately, Japanese Ambassador Sato Shoji and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Han Nianlong agreed to avoid discussing the issue again prior to concluding the treaty and the tensions over the incident were defused.
[74]: 258 On 18 October, a PRC spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked about the lighthouse at a press conference and stated that it was "a violation of China's sovereignty" and that the Japanese government should "immediately take effective measures to stop the activities of the right-wing group and prevent similar incidents in the future".
[74]: 258 On 21 October, twenty-four activists from Taiwan attempted to place a torch on the island to assert ROC sovereignty and the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency prevented them from doing so.
[74]: 260 Tensions rose two days later, however, when the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency stopped Hong Kong-based activist David Chan Yuk-cheung's boat from landing on the islands, and he drowned while attempting to swim to shore.
[74]: 260 On 1 October, Chinese Premier Li Peng stated that "the interruption of and damage to the Sino-Japanese relationship" had been caused by "a tiny handful of right-wing forces and militarists" in Japan.
[74]: 262 Since 2006, vessels from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have entered waters that Japan claims as part of its exclusive economic zone connected with the islands on a number of occasions.
[60] Japan sought to address the collision through its courts in violation of the Sino-Japanese Fisheries Agreement, which specifies that the area around the contested islands are treated as the high seas subject to flag state jurisdiction.
[152] In April 2014, a Washington Post blog reported that since October 2013, patrols by the Chinese Coast Guard in the territorial waters of the Senkaku Islands have greatly decreased.
[153] The Japanese Coast Guard announced in June 2020 that Chinese government ships had been spotted for a record number of consecutive days in the territorial waters of the Senkaku Islands.
[155] The Japan Coast Guard reported that Chinese government vessels intruded into Japanese territorial waters near the islands of Minamikojima and Uotsurijima just after 11 AM on 30 March 2023.
[159] The 2010 collision incident resulted in a significant increase in tensions between the two countries, both during the event as they argued over the release of the fishing boat crew, and after, as both said they would seek compensation from the other for damages.
[169][170][171] During the 2012 flare-up of the dispute, the Chinese government instituted a media campaign focused on an anti-fascist theme and remembrance of the Japanese invasion of China in the Second Sino-Japanese War as opposed to the territorial conflict itself.
[180][181] On 1 February 2021, the People's Republic of China passed a new law that authorized the Chinese Coast Guard to use lethal force in response to violations of "national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction".
[182] The law received condemnation from Japan and the United States and generated tensions because it would apply to disputed waters claimed by China, including around the Senkaku Islands.
