THE SENKAKU ISLANDS DISPUTE
Overview of the Senkaku Islands Dispute
The Senkaku Islands are a series of islands located in the East China Sea that are currently being controlled by Japan They have a total area of about 7 square kilometers and lie north-east of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and south-west of Japan's southern-most prefecture, Okinawa. These islands are considered very important to all three countries due to their close proximity to important shipping lanes, rich grounds for fishing and the potential to house large oil and gas reserves. China, Taiwan and Japan all claim ownership to the islands, with China stating that they were the first ones to discover it in the 14th century.
Japan’s claims to the islands
In 1879, after the Meiji Restoration (a chain of events that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji), the islands were considered to be the Sino-Japanese boundary for the first time. …show more content…
However, Inoue Kaoru, the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that the islands lay close to the border with the Qing Empire, and that the islands had already been given Chinese names. Additionally, he cited that a Chinese article had claimed that the Japanese were occupying the islands off the coast of China. Kaoru was worried that if the Japanese were to construct landmarks on the islands, the Qing Empire would become suspicious, which could trigger arguments and conflict. Therefore, the Japanese Government temporarily turned down the chance to incorporate the islands into their territorial
Overview of the Senkaku Islands Dispute
The Senkaku Islands are a series of islands located in the East China Sea that are currently being controlled by Japan They have a total area of about 7 square kilometers and lie north-east of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and south-west of Japan's southern-most prefecture, Okinawa. These islands are considered very important to all three countries due to their close proximity to important shipping lanes, rich grounds for fishing and the potential to house large oil and gas reserves. China, Taiwan and Japan all claim ownership to the islands, with China stating that they were the first ones to discover it in the 14th century.
Japan’s claims to the islands
In 1879, after the Meiji Restoration (a chain of events that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji), the islands were considered to be the Sino-Japanese boundary for the first time. …show more content…
However, Inoue Kaoru, the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that the islands lay close to the border with the Qing Empire, and that the islands had already been given Chinese names. Additionally, he cited that a Chinese article had claimed that the Japanese were occupying the islands off the coast of China. Kaoru was worried that if the Japanese were to construct landmarks on the islands, the Qing Empire would become suspicious, which could trigger arguments and conflict. Therefore, the Japanese Government temporarily turned down the chance to incorporate the islands into their territorial