The territorial disputes between Japan and China ---Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands
Linzhuo Liu
LS 620
Honor Code: I have neither given nor received nor have I tolerated others’ use of unauthorized aid.
The Territorial Disputes between Japan and China over Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands
Introduction
The maritime dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dates back to many decades. The main issue in the dispute has been on the ownership of sovereignty over the islands. In modern times, the dispute may be said to have been triggered by Japan’s move to claim sovereignty over the Islands in 1895. Tensions arising from the dispute continued to exist after the World War II, during which time it remained unclear where the demarcation line in East Asia ought to be under the international law. To date, no solution has been found for the stalemate, and focus is primarily on ensuring that the dispute does not escalate into a full-blown military confrontation or worse, an all-out war.
A number of factors are at play in the dispute, and the main ones include economic interests, historical grievances, international law requirements, nationalism, and domestic politics (Drifte 12). In this dispute, China claims that Diaoyu and its surrounding islands are an integral part of its territory. It supports its claims using legal terms, geographical considerations, and historical ties with the islands. China further argues that Japan’s longstanding claim on the islands is based on the developments of the Sino-Japanese War, which was fought between 1894 and 1895, whereby the country allegedly seized the islands from China through illegal means. China further argues that Japan’s claim to the islands was further reinforced when Washington placed them under its trusteeship after Japan occupied the islands after the war.
In contrast, Japan’s claim on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands is anchored on the argument that it surveyed them for a decade during the nineteenth century and found out that they were uninhabited, thereby occasioning a move by the country to
LS 620
Honor Code: I have neither given nor received nor have I tolerated others’ use of unauthorized aid.
The Territorial Disputes between Japan and China over Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands
Introduction
The maritime dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dates back to many decades. The main issue in the dispute has been on the ownership of sovereignty over the islands. In modern times, the dispute may be said to have been triggered by Japan’s move to claim sovereignty over the Islands in 1895. Tensions arising from the dispute continued to exist after the World War II, during which time it remained unclear where the demarcation line in East Asia ought to be under the international law. To date, no solution has been found for the stalemate, and focus is primarily on ensuring that the dispute does not escalate into a full-blown military confrontation or worse, an all-out war.
A number of factors are at play in the dispute, and the main ones include economic interests, historical grievances, international law requirements, nationalism, and domestic politics (Drifte 12). In this dispute, China claims that Diaoyu and its surrounding islands are an integral part of its territory. It supports its claims using legal terms, geographical considerations, and historical ties with the islands. China further argues that Japan’s longstanding claim on the islands is based on the developments of the Sino-Japanese War, which was fought between 1894 and 1895, whereby the country allegedly seized the islands from China through illegal means. China further argues that Japan’s claim to the islands was further reinforced when Washington placed them under its trusteeship after Japan occupied the islands after the war.
In contrast, Japan’s claim on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands is anchored on the argument that it surveyed them for a decade during the nineteenth century and found out that they were uninhabited, thereby occasioning a move by the country to