Tension,
collaboration efforts, and territorial disputes are just some of the ways to
describe one of Japan’s most current events. According to
a recent article from CNN, “the Japanese government is in the final stages of
negotiations to bring a hotly disputed set of small islands in the East China
Sea under ownership”. The debate
over the ownership of these islands has lead to extreme uncertainty for
multiple countries; Japan, China, and Taiwan have all claimed ownership over
the islands in the past, all having different names for the archipelago.
According to multiple sources, Japan and China refer to the islands as Senkaku
and Diaoyu, respectively. This ongoing territorial dispute has recently
reemerged with news of a potential purchase by the Japanese government.
The
archipelago consists of eight islands, all of which are uninhibited, and have a
total area of approximately 7 square kilometers (BBC news). A Japanese family,
the Kurihara family, currently privately owns them. The most recent news
stories have revealed that the Japanese government will soon buy the islands
from the Japanese family for a total of 2.05 billion yen (which is approximately
$26 million US dollars) (Reuters).
While
there are several reasons for desired ownership of the islands, their location is
perhaps the biggest reason. Not only are the islands close to imperative
shipping lanes, but they also hold the reputation for abundant fishing grounds
and possible oil deposits (BBC news). The unexploited natural resources that
are supposedly among the islands would be of great economic benefit to Japan.
While China is irritated by this purchase, the Japanese argue that their plans for
the group of islands are better and less destructive than other competitors’ plans,
which included large development plans.
While
both Japan and China have been making claims regarding ownership and historical
dates to go along with their arguments, there is now significantly more tension
as each side tries to prove proprietary rights. Not only is this territorial
disagreement harmful to the relationship between Chinese and Japanese
governments, but also their lack of discretion in public statements about one
another is arguably harmful to both of their reputations. The following
statement was made at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
"The Japanese side should take concrete actions and
meet the Chinese side halfway, and jointly manage the crisis so as to reduce
tensions and promote China-Japan strategic and mutually beneficial
relations," said Qin Gang, the spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said
at a news briefing Saturday.
The
remarks made at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit were made during
discussions of economic, trade, and security issues. In recent news, it has
been said that occasional violent acts of public protest have occurred in
connection to the political disagreement. Hilary Clinton recently traveled to
Beijing with the motive persuading both governments to use more discretion and
“calm regional tension”. Third parties have become involved, hoping to gain the
cooperation of both countries and ease the overall strained relations.
Sources
I am surprised that I was unaware of such seemingly significant news. The exchange of territories has international resonance. I am not sure if this did not make many headlines, or if I am just uninformed by means of the news. Very good to know!
ReplyDeleteThis topic just baffles me that a land dispute like this is still occuring today. That China could just claim this piece of land from Japan. It is also extremely interesting that this piece of land is privately owned by a Japanese Family. We can only hope that this is resolved soon without conflict.
ReplyDeleteI was unaware of this issue until I took this class. The two countries should make efforts to make sure that this problem doesn't escalate. A land dispute can cause a serious conflict that could be dangerous for both countries.
ReplyDeleteWe don't normally think of Japan and South Korea having bad relations in modern times. With all of the attention going to North Korea and all the tension going on, it is surprising that so much has been absent by the media just because it doesn't have to do with North Korea.
ReplyDeleteI did not know about this issue and am surprised about how significant it is in Japanese society. I hope this conflict is resolved soon and Japan does not continue to face these difficulties.
ReplyDeleteIt now seems that china has sent fishing fleet to these islands in order to continue to claim them as part of china and they have began to also encroach upon the japanese fishing area in these waters.
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese are still sore about losing land during the second world war, and it is clear that they want to remain in control of what they have and secure as many islands as possible. Additionally, the fishing industry in huge in Asia, and the importance of a few miles of sea could mean a large sum of money.
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