China-Japan: new tensions over the Senkaku Islands
China-Japan: new tensions over the Senkaku Islands
WRITTEN BY SIMRAN WALIA
22 June 2020
The world's second and third largest economies find themselves once again embroiled in the deep-rooted dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. In May of this year, two China Coast Guard cutters approached and then chased a Japanese fishing boat operating in Japanese territorial waters around the islands in the East China Sea. This latest act of coercion by China forced Tokyo to file a formal diplomatic protest against Beijing, with Japan demanding that the ships leave the disputed waters. Since May however, Chinese ships have been spotted operating near the Senkaku islands on a daily basis, setting a new record for consecutive incursions in the East China Sea.
More recently in June, Okinawa city council passed legislation that changes how the Senkaku islands are administered by Japan. This led to China’s Foreign Ministry to condemn the prefecture’s moves stating:
“The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are an inherent part of China's territory, and it is our inherent right to carry out patrols and law enforcement activities in these waters."
Fears over rising tensions between China and Japan come amidst wider concerns over Beijing’s recent assertiveness, with clashes in the Himalayas with India, which saw 20 Indian soldiers killed by Chinese troops and rising tensions between China and its neighbours in the South China Sea and also with Taiwan.
Understanding the territorial dispute
The dispute over the islands of the East China Sea are steeped in the region’s recent history. The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands were officially claimed by Japan from China in 1895 during the First Sino-Japanese War and have been administered by Tokyo since that time. Japan argues it first surveyed the islands in the 19th century and only claimed their sovereignty in 1895, incorporating the islands into their territory.
The Senkaku/Diaoyu islands are of vital importance owing to their proximity to important shipping lanes and are a major resource hub, offering both rich fishing grounds and potential large scale oil and gas reserves.
Following the end of World War II the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands were not included in the territory renounced by Tokyo under the Treaty of San Francisco and were thus recognised internationally as belonging to Japan. China for its part was not invited to San Francisco owing to the representation dispute with Taiwan and thus serves as a key point of contention. Tokyo asserts that China only began issuing claims towards the disputed islands when oil resources were discovered in the 1970s. China however cities historic rights to the area claiming that the islands have been a part of its territory since ancient times and served as important fishing grounds administered by the then province of Taiwan.
The islands themselves are geographically limited, consisting of eight desolate islands and rocks in the East China Sea inhabited by several herds of goats. The Senkaku/Diaoyu islands are of vital importance owing to their proximity to important shipping lanes and are a major resource hub, offering both rich fishing grounds and potential large scale oil and gas reserves. They are also important in terms of their geo-political position, forming part of the First Island Chain which restricts access by China to the Western Pacific. An important fact when keeping in mind the competition between the US and China for military precedence in the Indo-Pacific region.
In 1995, China discovered natural gas near the overlapping Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claimed area. Japan has refused to undertake any drilling in the East China Sea since gas fields under the seabed could extend to the disputed zone.
Tensions in the East China Sea began rising in 2008, when a Chinese Coast Guard vessel first entered Japanese territorial waters. Tensions heightened further following the collision of a Japan Coast Guard Ship and a Chinese trawler in September 2010. After that China began sending patrol vessels to the Japanese territorial waters on a frequent basis.
Sino-Japanese tensions escalated into an outright diplomatic crisis in 2012, when Japan purchased three of the disputed islands from a private owner, ostensibly to prevent Tokyo’s then nationalist governor, Shintaro Ishihara, from buying them. This alteration of the status quo deeply angered China and led to dramatic protests in cities across the country. Since then Chinese government ships have routinely sailed in and out of the East China Sea, with regualr aircraft violations too.
In 2013 Beijing shocked the region by announcing the establishment of a new ‘Air-Defense Identification Zone’ over the Senkaku/Diaoyo islands which would require any aircraft in the zone to comply with rules outlined by Beijing. Bilateral discussions between the two nations resumed in 2015 aimed at implementing the ‘Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism. The mechanism was finally launched in 2018.
While Chinese and Japanese leaders have refrained from establishing control over the islands forcibly, unauthorized action by local commanders could result in the escalation of animosities. The United States too has expressed interest in bringing back a certain amount of normalcy to this dispute.
Rising tensions and recent endeavours
Since 2012, China has largely pursued a strategy of active non-acquiescence to Japan's administration of the Islands. Furthermore according to Japanese Coast Guard data, Chinese forays into the territorial waters and contiguous zones of the islands have been regularised since that time. Bilateral relations between Japan and China have improved slowly but only after several years of frosty relations. In 2018, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited China with the intention of breaking the deadlock and intensifying diplomatic and military exchanges. The state visit was broadly seen as a successful diplomatic reset, with warm words exchanged between Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping on future points of cooperation between China and Japan on issues such as trade.
Fast forward to May 2020, the incident that saw Chinese ships chase Japanese fishing boats from Japan’s own territorial waters merely revealed how underlying tensions between Beijing and Tokyo remain largely unchanged. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga urged “positive action” from China to prevent the incident from affecting bilateral cooperation. It is telling that this incident took place while the Japanese government was been busy grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. It should be noted that just a day after the first incident, two Chinese Coast Guard vessels reentered Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands - they have since left. This incident was subsequently followed by two Haijing Ships later crossing into Japanese waters west of Uotsuri Island, the largest of the tiny uninhabited islets.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi later protested against China sending its government ships into Japanese waters. Japan, being infuriated, demanded that Chinese ships stop chasing their fishing boats though Beijing claimed that it has an inherent right to patrol the waters near the Senkaku Islands.
On June 4, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) submitted a resolution calling on the government to vigorously protest China's repeated chasing of Japanese fishing boats in waters near the disputed islands. The resolution linked China's unacceptable behaviour to ‘maritime stalking acts’ as the ships approached and chased the fishing boats in Japanese waters. Furthermore, it also mentioned that this act should not be forgotten as it comes while the world struggles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2012, China’s strategy is believed to be one of slowly increasing its activity in the disputed area until it is able to establish the co-administration and consequently, sole administration of the Islands. The Senkaku/Diaoyu issue has highlighted the tough attitude China has been taking to its territorial claims in the East China Sea by taking advantage of its military capabilities. This leads to further concerns about security in the region as China's military continues to modernise. The East China Sea is a unique mix of history, honour and territory though in recent times the Island dispute has been much more about Washington's place in the regional order, China’s expansionism and the evolving tensions between two of Asia's rivals.
Some observers also believe that China might attempt to seize the islands militarily leading to other countries being dragged into a great rower war in East Asia. It should be noted however that China's energy situation is not so dire as to see it resort to a war and capture the oil and gas under the disputed islands. Japan however should properly disseminate details of Chinese activity around the Senkakus so that government officials do not become oblivious and triumphant.
Given the postponement of Xi’s visit to Japan this year due to COVID-19 and recent events in India, Japanese policymakers must now wonder how and when China will target the Senkaku Islands. Japan’s Coast Guard should develop a strategy to increase the number of patrol ships and aircraft, while reinforcing its ability to react to incursions into their territorial waters. Though there is much skepticism regarding this issue to be addressed directly, awareness is vital for making the Chinese government think twice before initiating the next phase of its Senkaku Islands strategy.
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of the 9DASHLINE.com platform.
Author biography
Simran Walia is currently pursuing M.Phil in Japanese Studies under the Centre for East Asian Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Prior to this, she was working as a Research Assistant at Observer Research Foundation (ORF). She has her work published in magazines and websites like, The Diplomat, Indian Defence Review, and The Geopolitics. She has recently published a paper on Japan-Afghanistan relations available here. Image credit: U.S. Pacific Fleet/Flickr.