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The
islands known as the Senkaku Islands (尖閣諸島; -Shoto)
in
Japanese and Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台列嶼
Pinyin: Diΰoyϊtαi Liθdǎo) in
Chinese are disputed islands administered by
Japan but claimed by the
Republic of China and the
People's Republic of China.
Geography
- Total island
area: 7
km²
-
Population: 0
-
Geographic coordinates: 25°58' - 25°41'45" N, 123°27'45" -
124°41'30" E
The group is made up of five small
volcanic islands, including:
- The main island Uotsuri-jima(魚釣島): 4.319 km²
- Kobi-sho(久場島): 1.08 km²
- Taisho-jima(大正島)
They are part of the
Southwest Islands in Japan.
Political Dispute
They are administered by Japan as part of Ishigaki village,
Okinawa prefecture, but claimed by the Republic of China as part of
Daxi Village (大溪里),
Toucheng Township (頭城鎮),
Yilan County. They are 170
km
north of
Ishigaki Islands, Japan, 170 km northeast of
Keelung, Taiwan and 410 km west of
Okinawa Mainland. The islands sit on the edge of the continental
shelf, and are separated from the Ryukyu islands by a deep sea trench.
Japan discovered the islands in 1895, and were not transferred under
the
Treaty of Shimonoseki. Japan's history of controlling the islands from
their discovery until the
Second World War is not disputed. But the method and legitimacy of
control is disputed.
The Republic of China and the People's Republic of China claimed that
they discovered the islands in 1372. The Chinese also believe that the
islands were part of the
Treaty of Shimonoseki, so they should have been returned after the
Second World War, under provisions of the 1943
Cairo Declaration, 1945
Potsdam Proclamation, and Article 2 of the
San Francisco Treaty.
In 1988, the
Japan Youth Association set up a lighthouse on the main island. On
July 14, 1996 they built a 5-m high, solar-powered, aluminum
lighthouse on another islet. A
Hong Kong protestor drowned on
September 26, trying to swin to Uotsuri-jima . On
October 7, protestors placed the flags of the Republic of China and
the People's Republic of China on the main island, but they were later
removed by the Japanese.
History
The Senkaku Islands were first documented during the
Ming Dynasty, by royal visitors from Ming China to the
Ryukyu Kingdom at the current
Okinawa prefecture of
Japan. The documentation mentions, "When crossing the sea, we can saw
black [ocean] current underneath. The guide said, after passing this black
current, they will leave the boundary of China. At this stage, we can see
a series of islands that cannot be seen in the return trip."
During the
Qing Dynasty, when the ex-Ming Dynasty general
Zheng Jing (鄭經) was defeated, Taiwan and its surrounding islands
became under the control of the Qing. The islands were not developed and
were used only as a landmark for the trip to Ryukyu kingdoms. During the
Cixi era, the islands were presented as a gift to a mandarin "for the
purpose of collecting herbs on the islands."
After the
Meiji Restoration, the Japanese started to explore the sea around them
and discovered the islands. They did not notice any evidence the islands
were previously claimed or settled by Qing China, thus, they were
considered "terra nullius".
It was not until Okinawa and the surronding islands were returned to
Japan by the United States in
1972-and the prospect of undersea oil, gas, and mineral deposits-that
Chinese and Taiwanese claims surfaced.
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