The Diaoyu Dao Islands

The Diaoyu Islands: A Historical and Legal Study from a Chinese Perspective examines the issue of the Islands in the context of Chinese and Western maritime history, including knowledge and research methods from a wide variety of fields, including linguistics, geography, textual criticism of historical sources, tectonics and the principles of international law that are applied for a holistic and in-depth analysis. In particular, the rigorous analysis of a large number of historical maps is especially valuable as a supplement to the textual sources examined. Examines a large number of primary sources relating to the Islands Includes information from both textual materials and maps that date from the 15th to the 20th century from China, Japan, Ryukyu and Europe Presents professional knowledge and research methods from a wide range of disciplines, such as history and international law Provides a large number of valuable maps in the author’s personal collection that are presented for the first time in English, with concomitant analysis

This book conducts detailed research and analysis on the relevant literature and historical evidence regarding the 640-year history of ancient and modern China and other countries since the Ming Dynasty, and clarifies the chain of evidence concerning the Diaoyu Islands in terms of the facts and jurisprudence. Divided into seven chapters, the book includes over 220 original documents and maps. From the perspective of international law and historical fact, the author clarifies common misconceptions and refutes the opinions on the Diaoyu Islands issue put forward by Japanese officials and some scholars in recent years. By examining the historical documents and related maps of China, Europe and the United States, the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom, and Japan, the book presents convincing arguments that the Diaoyu Islands are historically Chinese territory, as one of the affiliated island groups of Taiwan. The book will be of considerable interest to scholars of Chinese foreign policy, Asian politics, security studies and international relations.

Although the flare-up of tensions in East Asia over the disputed islands, which are alternatively called Diaoyu (China), Diaoyutai (Taiwan) and Senkaku (Japan), seems to be ever more frequent, it has not always been the case. Lessons from the Disturbed Waters traces the origin of the issue back to when it first surfaced in the 1970s. The book explains the positions of the claimants, China, Japan and Taiwan, and explores the reasons why they have taken such positions over the past few decades. Unlike the other books which analyse the disputes predominantly from a geopolitical perspective, this books tries to do so mainly from the perspectives of international law, conflict management, negotiation strategies, and history. Readers will get to see an interesting dynamism played out among the three actors which are directly involved and the influence of extra-regional stakeholders such as the US over the disputes. While the disputes are still evolving, the author hopes this book can shed new light on the intricacies and complexities of the disputes and can provide some threads for further in-depth discussions. Contents:IntroductionChina's Positions:China's PositionsHistorical ArgumentsIssue-Linkage with TaiwanChallenges to Fishing in the East China SeaIssues with Other Claimants' Positions:The Sovereignty MythJapan's PositionsIssues and Challenges on the Sea:China's Law Enforcement Agency on the SeaRe-Contemplation from the View of Conflict ManagementOther Emerging Challenges:Epilogue Readership: Undergraduate and graduate students, academics, researchers, foreign affairs analysts, and readers interested in East Asia's maritime territorial disputes. Key Features:Analyzes the Diaoyu/Diaoyutai/Senkaku disputes from new angles, with special emphasis on the roles of international law, conflict management, and negotiation strategies and practicesChallenges traditional perceptions or understandings of important concepts such as sovereignty, identity, and history with regards to the Diaoyu/Diaoyutai/Senkaku disputesSheds new light on an emerging form of international dispute settlement and regional and international cooperation model for territorial water disputes in East and Southeast AsiaKeywords:China;Japan;Taiwan;US;Diaoyu;Senkaku;Diaoyutai;Okinawa;Sovereignty;Territorial Disputes;Maritime Territorial Disputes;Conflict Management;UNCLOS;International Law;East China Sea;South China Sea;Nationalism;Fishery

This book mainly demonstrates the sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, illustrates the significance, approach and means of peaceful settlement of the Diaoyu Islands dispute, and clarifies China’s principal stand on the Diaoyu Islands issue. According to mode of territorial acquisition, the critical date and the inter-temporal theory in international law, the Diaoyu Islands had been China’s territory rather than terra nullius or a part of Ryukyu before 1895. Therefore, Japan could not acquire the Diaoyu Islands by occupation. Instead, Japan acquired the Diaoyu Islands by cession during the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. In light of the situation and inter-temporal law of the critical date, China resumed her sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands after WWII. China beyond any doubt enjoys the sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands. China upholds the principle of peaceful settlement of the Diaoyu Islands dispute and strongly opposes settling the dispute by means of violence. Studies show that the settlement of the Diaoyu Islands dispute can be analyzed and studied in reference to the operational mode of the International Court of Justice, and China and Japan should take the Franco-German reconciliation model to resolve the Diaoyu Islands dispute politically.

This book examines the foreign and security policies adopted by China and Japan since the 1970s in their competition over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. It charts the development of a dispute that has become a potential flashpoint for conflict between the two countries. The book explains that while increasing nationalism in both China and Japan helps to fuel and sustain the dispute, a key factor is that the leaderships in both countries find competition over the islands to be a convenient vehicle supporting their wider approach to foreign and security policy, which is becoming increasingly assertive and potentially belligerent.

In September 1996, members of the right-wing Japan Youth Federation repaired a lighthouse on one of the Diaoyu (J. Senkaku) Islands, a small group of uninhabited islets north of Taiwan in the Liuqiu (J. Ryukyu) chain, known today as Okinawa. For months, outraged ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong and Taiwan protested Japan’s presence in the islands, and violent confrontations between protesters and the Japanese Marine Self-Defense Force resulted. Tension over these incidents has subsided since 1996, but the sovereignty of the islands remains a concern for both China and Japan. The long and complex history of relations between the two countries has made the problem difficult to resolve. This volatile situation has been further complicated by the involvement of other countries, including the U.S. Although the Diaoyu/Senkaku matter may be characterized as a simple territorial dispute between two nations, it exposes complicated geopolitical relations among Japan, China, Taiwan, and the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific region. Sovereign Rights and Territorial Space in Sino-Japanese Relations is an investigation of the highly topical issues involved in the Diaoyu/Senkaku confrontation. It begins by addressing the issue of the historical development of the dispute: To whom do the islands belong? When did China and Japan become involved? Does historical evidence prove who has sovereignty over the islands? How has irredentism (the claim to territory based on one or another historical “right”) become a major state policy in both countries? Other issues center on Chinese views of sovereignty and methods of delimiting territorial boundaries during the Ming and Qing periods, the Chinese concept of hegemony, and the history behind the deep mistrust that permeates Sino-Japanese relations. Finally, the author discloses the interwoven relationship between geography and history in East Asia. Chinese and Japanese geographers have for centuries been engaged in historical analyses of the islands. Their work, which has been used in the development of national security and diplomatic policies, is an important resource and one that this book makes available to Western scholars for the first time. In addition to his careful examination of these and other sources, Suganuma utilizes theoretical writings on geographical irredentism to expose the biases of recent work on the Diaoyu/Senkaku dispute. This volume is the fullest scholarly treatment that the contested issue of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands has received to date in any language. It contains much of interest for historians of modern China and Japan as well as for political scientists looking for new insights into international relations and Sino-Japanese interactions. No one who reads it will look at sovereignty in the same way again.

This book discusses the sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands from the perspectives of Ryukyu and Okinawa. Written in chronological order, the book has 13 chapters featuring 121 documents and maps. The first 12 chapters explain, based on detailed historical facts on the Diaoyu Islands, the rise and decline of the Ryukyu Kingdom and the historical roles of China, Japan, and the United States in the history of the kingdom. The final chapter is an overview of the Sino-Ryukyuan, Japan-Ryukyuan and US-Ryukyuan relations, and further clarifies the issue of ownership of the Diaoyu Islands and their strategic position. The book demonstrates that Ryukyu did not have sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, refutes Japan’s claim that these islands were a part of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and reveals the causes and consequences of the Sino-Japanese conflicts created by the United States. The book examines the 500-year friendship between China and Ryukyu, recounting moving stories. Lastly, citing ancient documents and more, the books proves that the Ryukyus never owned the Diaoyu Islands and that these islands belong to China.

The small unpopulated islands in the East China Sea that the Chinese call the Diaoyu and the Japanese call the Senkaku, have long been a source of contention. This volume will undertake an examination of the controversy as it plays out in legacy and new social media in China, Japan, and the West.