Senkaku Islands

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The Senkaku Islands,Template:Efn known as the Diaoyu IslandsTemplate:Efn in China and the Diaoyutai IslandsTemplate:Efn in Taiwan, are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan. They were historically known in the Western world as the Pinnacle Islands. The islands are located northeast of Taiwan, east of China, west of Okinawa Island, and north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands.

The islands are the focus of a territorial dispute between Japan, China and Taiwan.<ref>McDorman, Ted L. (2005). "Central Pacific and East Asian Maritime Boundaries" in Template:Google books</ref> China claims the discovery and ownership of the islands from the 14th century, while Japan maintained ownership of the islands from 1895 until its surrender at the end of World War II. The United States received administrative rights of the islands from Japan under the Treaty of San Francisco and administered the islands as part of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands from 1945 until 1972, before returning them to Japanese control under the Okinawa Reversion Agreement.<ref>Lee, Seokwoo. (2002). Template:Google books</ref> The discovery of potential undersea oil reserves in 1968 in the area was a catalyst for further interest in the disputed islands.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Despite the diplomatic stalemate between China and Taiwan, both governments agree that the islands are part of Taiwan as part of Toucheng Township in Yilan County. Japan administers the Senkaku islands as part of the city of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. It does not acknowledge the claims of China nor Taiwan, but it has not allowed the Ishigaki administration to develop the islands.

As a result of the dispute, public access to the uninhabited islands is restricted; Japan’s central government has denied landing requests even from local authorities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although the islands are administered by Japan since 1895, a continuity interrupted only by US administration from 1945 to 1972, this long-standing status quo has been increasingly challenged by China since 2010s;<ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since the early 2010s, China Coast Guard have frequently entered the surrounding waters of the islands, prompting responses and exchanges of warnings with the Japan Coast Guard.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> China has also announced territorial-sea baselines (2012) and established an East China Sea ADIZ (2013), all of which are contested by Japan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The United States, which returned administrative right of the islands to Japan in 1972, takes no position on the ultimate sovereignty but acknowledges that the islands are under Japanese administration and are covered by the US–Japan security treaty.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Recent US–Japan statements also refer to Japan’s longstanding administration and oppose any unilateral actions that seek to undermine it .<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Senkaku Islands are important nesting sites for seabirds, and are one of two remaining nesting sites in the world for the short-tailed albatross, alongside Tori-shima, Izu Islands.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Names

The islands are referred to as the Template:Nihongo in Japanese. In mainland China, they are known as the Diaoyu Islands (Template:Lang-zh) or more fully "Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands" (Template:Lang-zh),<ref name="c">Template:Cite web</ref> while in Taiwan they are called the Diaoyutai Islands, or previously spelled as Tiaoyutai Islands<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Template:Lang-zh).<ref name="mofaROC">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Taipeitimes">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ChinaPost">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Western sources, the historical English name Pinnacle Islands is occasionally still used when neutrality among the competing national claims is desirable.<ref name="Lai208">Template:Harvnb cites Hagstrom 2005; "The islands are also called 'Pinnacle Islands' for convenience and neutrality sake by Western scholars"</ref><ref>The Diaoyutaiisenkaku Islands Dispute: its History and an Analysis of the Ownership Claims of the P.R.C., R.O.C., and Japan Template:Webarchive, Occasional Papers/Reprints Series in Contemporary Asian Studies, Nr 3 – 1999 (152), p.13</ref><ref>What's in a name? Template:Webarchive, BusinessMirror: "The disputed islands East China Sea are called the Senkaku Islands by Japan, Diaoyu Islands in China and the Diaoyutai Islands by the government of Taiwan. In the West, these rocks are called the Pinnacle Islands as a loose translation of the Japanese name."</ref><ref>Japan's Territorial Disputes Template:Webarchive, American Diplomacy: "The Chinese call them the Diaoyu Islands, and on foreign maps in the past they have been called the Pinnacle Islands."</ref>

In Okinawan (northern Ryukyu), the islands are known as Template:Nihongo,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> while their Yaeyama (southern Ryukyu) name is iigunkubajima.

Chinese records of these islands date back to as early as the 15th century when they were referred as Diaoyu in books such as Voyage with a Tail Wind (Template:Lang-zh) (1403) <ref>Title: Liang zhong hai dao zhen jing / [Xiang Da jiao zhu].Imprint: Beijing : Zhonghua shu ju : Xin hua shu dian Beijing fa xing suo fa xing, 2000 reprint edition. Contents: Shun feng xiang song—Zhi nan zheng fa. (順風相送--指南正法). Template:ISBN. pp96 and pp253 Template:Webarchive. The full text is available at wikisource Template:Webarchive.</ref> and Record of the Imperial Envoy's Visit to Ryūkyū (Template:Lang-zh) (1534).Template:Citation needed Adopted by the Chinese Imperial Map of the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese name for the island group (Diaoyu) and the Japanese name for the main island (Uotsuri) both mean "fishing".

History

An extract from a map of Asia (China and Tartary) drawn by Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville in 1752.

Early history

Historically, the Chinese had used the uninhabited islands as navigational markers in making the voyage to the Ryukyu Kingdom upon commencement of diplomatic missions to the kingdom, "resetting the compass at a particular isle in order to reach the next one".<ref name="ReferenceA">Suganuma, Template:Google books</ref>

The first published description of the islands in Europe appears in a book imported by Isaac Titsingh in 1796. His small library of Japanese books included Template:Nihongo by Hayashi Shihei.<ref>WorldCat, Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu Template:Webarchive; alternate romaji Sankoku Tsūran Zusetsu Template:Webarchive</ref> This text, which was published in Japan in 1785, described the Ryūkyū Kingdom.<ref>Cullen, Louis M. (2003). Template:Google books</ref> Hayashi followed convention in giving the islands their Chinese names in his map in the text, where he coloured them in the same pink as China.<ref name="Economist-2012-12-empty-space">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1832, the Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland supported the posthumous abridged publication of Titsingh's French translation.<ref>Klaproth, Julius. (1832). Template:Google books</ref>

The name, "Pinnacle Isles" was first used by James Colnett, who charted them during his 1789–1791 voyage in the Argonaut.<ref>"Pinnacle Rock in Latitude 29°40Template:Prime and Longitude 132° E. of London... This Navigation is no ways dangereous were you sure of your Latitude and to make Pinnicle Isle". James Colnett, The Journal ... aboard the Argonaut from April 26, 1789 to Nov. 3, 1791, ed. with introd. and notes by F. W. Howay, Toronto, Champlain Society Vol. 26, 1940, p. 47.</ref> William Robert Broughton sailed past them in November 1797 during his voyage of discovery to the North Pacific in HMS Providence, and referred to Diaoyu Island/Uotsuri Island as "Peaks Island".<ref>William Robert Broughton, William Robert Broughton's Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific, 1795–1798, edited by Andrew David; with an introduction by Barry Gough, Ashgate for the Hakluyt Society, Farnham, England; Burlington, VT, 2010, p. 202.</ref> Reference was made to the islands in Edward Belcher's 1848 account of the voyages of HMS Sammarang.<ref>Suganuma, Unryu. (2001). Template:Google books</ref> Captain Belcher remarked that "the names assigned in this region have been too hastily admitted."<ref>Belcher, Edward. (1848). Template:Google books; Belcher, Template:Google books</ref> Belcher reported anchoring off Pinnacle Island in March 1845.<ref>Belcher, Template:Google books; excerpt at p. 317, "On the 16th, we endeavoured to obtain observations on Tia-usu; a landing was effected, but the absence of sun prevented our obtaining satisfactory observations, and bad weather coming on hastened our departure. This group, comprehending hô-pîng-san (和平山, "Peace Island", Uotsuri-shima), Pinnacle Rocks, and Tias-usu (Kuba-shima), form a triangle, of which the hypothenuse, or distance between Hoa-pin-san and Tia-usu, extends about fourteen miles, and that between Hoa-pinsan and the Southern Pinnacle, about two miles."</ref>

In the 1870s and 1880s, the English name Pinnacle Islands was used by the British navy for the rocks adjacent to the largest island Uotsuri-shima / Diaoyu Dao (then called Template:Lang-zh); Kuba-shima / Huangwei Yu (then called Ti-a-usu); and Taishō-tō / Chiwei Yu.<ref>Suganuma, Template:Google books; Jarrad, Frederick W. (1873). Template:Google books</ref>

A Japanese navy record issued in 1886 first started to identify the islets using equivalents of the Chinese and English terms employed by the British. The name "Senkaku Retto" is not found in any Japanese historical document before 1900 (the term "Senkaku Gunto" began being used in the late 19th century), and first appeared in print in a geography journal published in 1900. It was derived from a translation of the English name Pinnacle Islands into a Sinicized Japanese term "Sento Shoto" (as opposed to "Senkaku Retto", i.e., the term used by the Japanese today), which has the same meaning.<ref>Suganuma, Template:Google books</ref>

The collective use of the name "Diaoyutai" to denote the entire group began with the advent of the controversy in the 1970s.<ref>Koo, Min Gyo (2009). Disputes and Maritime Regime Building in East Asia, p. 103 n2. Template:Webarchive citing Park (1973) "Oil under Troubled Waters: The Northeast Asia Seabed Controversy", 14 HILJ (Harvard International Law Journal) 212, 248–249; also Park, Choon-Ho (1972). Continental Shelf Issues in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. Kingston, Rhode Island: Law of the Sea Institute, pp. 1–64.</ref>

Control of the islands by Japan and the US

Japanese workers at a bonito fishery processing plant on Uotsuri-shima sometime around 1910<ref name="search.japantimes.co.jp" />
Map including Uotsuri-Shima (labeled as UOTSURI-SHIMA 魚釣島) (1954)
Map including Taishō-tō (labeled as SEKIBI-SHO 赤尾屿) (1954)

As the uninhabited islets were historically used as maritime navigational markers, they were never subjected to administrative control other than the recording of the geographical positions on maps, descriptions in official records of Chinese missions to the Ryukyu Kingdom, etc.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

The Japanese central government incorporated the islands into Okinawa Prefecture in January 1895 while still fighting China in the First Sino-Japanese War.<ref name="Economist-2012-12-empty-space" /> Around 1900, Japanese entrepreneur Template:Nihongo constructed a bonito fish processing plant on the islands, employing over 200 workers. The business failed around 1940 and the islands have remained deserted ever since.<ref name="search.japantimes.co.jp" /> In the 1970s, Koga Tatsushirō's son Zenji Koga and Zenji's wife Hanako sold four islets to the Kurihara family of Saitama Prefecture. Kunioki Kurihara<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> owned Uotsuri, Kita-Kojima, and Minami-Kojima. Kunioki's sister owned Kuba.<ref name="japantimes.co.jp">Ito, Masami, "Owner OK with metro bid to buy disputed Senkaku Islands", Japan Times, May 18, 2012, pp. 1–2</ref>

The islands came under US government occupation in 1945 after the surrender of Japan ended World War II.<ref name="search.japantimes.co.jp">Kaneko, Maya, (Kyodo News) "Ishigaki fishermen fret over Senkaku encroachment Template:Webarchive", Japan Times, December 8, 2010, p. 3.</ref> In 1969, the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) identified potential oil and gas reserves in the vicinity of the Senkaku Islands.<ref name=":6" /> In 1971, the Okinawa Reversion Treaty passed the United States Senate, returning the islands to Japanese control in 1972.<ref name="Senate">Finney, John W. "Senate Endorses Okinawa Treaty; Votes 84 to 6 for Island's Return to Japan" Template:Webarchive, The New York Times. November 11, 1971.</ref> Also in 1972, the Republic of China government and People's Republic of China government officially began to declare ownership of the islands.<ref name="Senkaku purchase bid made official">Kyodo News, "Senkaku purchase bid made official Template:Webarchive", Japan Times, September 11, 2012, p. 2</ref>

Since 1972, when the islands reverted to Japanese government control, the government of Ishigaki has been given civic authority over the territory. The Japanese central government, however, has prohibited Ishigaki from surveying or developing the islands.<ref name="search.japantimes.co.jp" /><ref>Ito, Masami, "Jurisdiction over remote Senkakus comes with hot-button dangers Template:Webarchive", Japan Times, May 18, 2012, p. 1</ref>

In 1978, a Japanese political group constructed the first lighthouse on Uotsuri island and grazed two goats. Goats have since proliferated and affected the island's vegetation.<ref>The Problem of Feral Goats on Uotsuri-jima in the Senkuku Islands and Appeals for Countermeasures to Resolve the Problem. Template:Webarchive, Japanese Journal of Conservation Ecology 8, p.90. Yasushi Yokohata, Laboratory of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Education, Toyama University. 2003.</ref>

In 1979 an official delegation from the Japanese government composed of 50 academics, government officials from the Foreign and Transport ministries, officials from the now-defunct Okinawa Development Agency, and Hiroyuki Kurihara, visited the islands and camped on Uotsuri for about four weeks. The delegation surveyed the local ecosystem, finding moles and sheep, studied the local marine life, and examined whether the islands would support human habitation.<ref name="japantimes.co.jp" />

In 1988, a Japanese political group reconstructed a lighthouse on Uotsuri Island.<ref name = "jcg2005">4. Start managing the "Uotsuri Island Lighthouse" of the Senkaku Islands Japan Coast Guard Annual Report 2005</ref>

In 2005, a Japanese fisherman who owned a lighthouse at Uotsuri Island expressed his intention to relinquish the ownership of the lighthouse, and the lighthouse became a national property pursuant to the provisions of the Civil Code of Japan. Since then, the Japan Coast Guard has maintained and managed the Uotsuri lighthouse.<ref name = "jcg2005"/>

From 2002 to 2012, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications paid the Kurihara family ¥25 million a year to rent Uotsuri, Minami-Kojima and Kita-Kojima. Japan's Ministry of Defense rents Kuba island for an undisclosed amount. Kuba is used by the US military as a practice aircraft bombing range. Japan's central government completely owns Taisho island.<ref name="japantimes.co.jp" /><ref>Hongo, Jun, "Tokyo's intentions for Senkaku islets Template:Webarchive", Japan Times, April 19, 2012, p. 2.</ref>

The reaction of the Kan Cabinet to the September 2010 Senkaku boat collision incident was seen by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as "a very foolish move" and "frighteningly naive".<ref name="abe10t">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="abe10v">Template:Cite news</ref>

On December 17, 2010, the city of Ishigaki designated January 14 as "Pioneering Day" to commemorate Japan's 1895 incorporation of the Senkaku Islands. China condemned Ishigaki's actions.<ref>Agence France-Presse, "Senkaku memorial day riles China Template:Webarchive", Japan Times, December 19, 2010, p. 1. Retrieved January 29, 2011.</ref>

In May 2012, both the Tokyo Metropolitan and Japanese central governments announced plans to negotiate purchase of Uotsuri, Kita-Kojima, and Minami-Kojima from the Kurihara family,<ref name="japantimes.co.jp" /> and on September 11, 2012, the Japanese government nationalized its control over Minami-kojima, Kita-kojima, and Uotsuri islands by purchasing them from the Kurihara family for ¥2.05 billion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> China's Foreign Ministry objected saying Beijing would not "sit back and watch its territorial sovereignty violated."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2014, Japan constructed a lighthouse and wharf featuring Japanese flag insignia on the islets.<ref>Kyodo News, "Taiwan activists threaten to land on Senkakus if Japan doesn't remove facilities Template:Webarchive", Japan Times, 2 March 2015</ref>

Geography

Map of the Senkaku Islands area (1944)
A cluster of islets – Uotsuri-shima (left), Kita-Kojima and Minami-Kojima (right)

The island group are known to consist of five uninhabited islets and three barren rocks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> China has identified and named as many as 71 islets that belong to this group after the Japanese Cabinet released names for 39 uninhabited islands.<ref>China announces geographic codes for Diaoyu Islands</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

These minor features in the East China Sea are located approximately 120 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan, 200 nautical miles east of the Chinese mainland and 200 nautical miles southwest of the Japanese island of Okinawa.<ref>UC Berkeley: UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation; retrieved November 15, 2010.</ref>

According to one visitor, Uotsuri-shima, the largest of the islands, consists of a pair of rocky gray mountains with steep, boulder-strewn slopes rising almost straight from the water's edge. Other, nearby islands were described as large rocks covered by low vegetation.<ref name="Fackler">Template:Cite news</ref>

In ascending order of distances, the island cluster is located:

Islands in the group
No. Japanese name<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Republic of China name<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="taiwan">Template:Cite web</ref> China (PRC) name<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Coordinates Area (km2)<ref name="taiwan" /> Highest elevation (m) Images
1 Uotsuri Island (Template:Lang)<ref>Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), 魚釣島 (Uotsuri-shima) Template:Webarchive.</ref> Template:Linktext<ref>Template:Cite book (In the map labeled 臺海軍事危機地圖1949-1958年, the Free area of the Republic of China is colored light green, the PRC (China) is colored red and the Ryukyu Islands are colored pink. The area labeled 釣魚臺 is colored light green. The map was created by Ching-Chi Huang.)</ref> / Template:Linktext Diaoyutai
POJ: Tiò-hî-tâi<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>		 Diaoyu Dao (Template:Linktext/Template:Linktext) Template:Coord 4.32 383
2 Taisho Island (Template:Lang)<ref>GSI, 大正島 (Taishō-tō) Template:Webarchive.</ref> 赤尾嶼 Chiwei Isle Chiwei Yu (Template:Lang/赤尾嶼) Template:Coord 0.0609 75
3 Kuba Island (Template:Lang)<ref>GSI, 久場島 (Kuba-shima) Template:Webarchive.</ref> 黃尾嶼 Huangwei Isle Huangwei Yu (Template:Lang/黄尾嶼) Template:Coord 1.08 117
4 Kitakojima Island (Template:Lang)<ref>Google Maps, 北小島 (Kita kojima) Template:Webarchive; GSI, 北小島 (Kita kojima) Template:Webarchive.</ref> 北小島 Beixiao Island Beixiao Dao (Template:Lang/北小島) Template:Coord 0.3267 135
Kita-Kojima (left) and Minami-Kojima (right)
5 Minamikojima Island (Template:Lang)<ref>Google Maps, 南小島 (Minami Kojima) Template:Webarchive</ref> 南小島 Nanxiao Island Nanxiao Dao (Template:Lang/南小島) Template:Coord 0.4592 149
6 Okinokitaiwa Island (Template:Lang)<ref>GSI, 沖ノ北岩 (Okino Kitaiwa) Template:Webarchive.</ref> 沖北岩 Chongbeiyan Bei Yu (北屿/Template:Lang/大北小島) Template:Coord 0.0183 nominal
7 Okinominamiiwa Island (Template:Lang)<ref>GSI, 沖ノ南岩 (Okino Minami-iwa) Template:Webarchive.</ref> 沖南岩 Chongnanyan Nan Yu (南屿/Template:Lang/大南小島/南岩) Template:Coord 0.0048 nominal
8 Tobise Island (Template:Lang)<ref>GSI, 飛瀬 (Tobise) Template:Webarchive.</ref> 飛瀨 Feilai Fei Yu (飞屿/Template:Lang/飛礁岩) Template:Coord 0.0008 nominal
Tobise rocks (bottom right)
The five islands and three rocks, numbered for the table above.

The depth of the surrounding waters of the continental shelf is approximately Template:Convert except for the Okinawa Trough on the south.<ref>Ji, Guoxing. (1995). "Maritime Jurisdiction in the Three China Seas", p. 11 Template:Webarchive; Sibuet, Jean-Claude et al. "Back arc extension in the Okinawa Trough" Template:Webarchive, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 92, Issue B13, pp. 14041-14063.</ref> The shelf is shallow enough that the western islands were likely connected to the mainland during the Last Glacial Period.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Geology

A geological map of Uotsuri-shima drawn by Japanese geologist Hisashi Kuroiwa in 1900.

Uotsuri, Kitakojima, Minamikojima and surrounding islets are sedimentary in origin, predominantly consisting of probably Miocene aged sandstone and sandstone-conglomerate, with subordinate conglomerate, coal seams up to Template:Convert thick, and rare siltstone beds. The sedimentary strata have around Template:Convert of exposed thickness at Uotsuri, and have SW-NE, EW and NW-SE strikes, with a general inclination of a dip of less than 20 degrees towards the North.<ref>Matsumoto, Y., and Tsuji, K. (1973) : Geology of Uotsuri-jima, Kita-kojima and Minami-kojima Template:Webarchive. Bull. Fac. Liberal Arts, Nagasaki Univ. (Nat. Sci.), 14, 43–57 (in Japanese with English abstract).</ref> These strata are intruded by sheets of Mio-Pliocene porphyritic hornblende diorite, and are fringed by recent coral outcrops and surface talus deposits. Kuba and Taisho are volcanic in origin, with Kuba comprising "pyroxene andesite, lava, volcanic bombs, pumice, limestone, and other rocky material" and Taisho is thought to be consist of "andesite, tuff breccia, and tuffaceous sandstone".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Wildlife

Plants

Permission for collecting herbs on three of the islands was recorded in an Imperial Chinese edict of 1893.<ref>Ji, p. 11; excerpt, "In 1893, Empress Dowager Tsu Shih of the Qing Dynasty issued an imperial edict .... China argues that discovery accompanied by some formal act of usage is sufficient to establish sovereignty over the islands." Template:Webarchive</ref>

Several floral surveys have been conducted on the Senkaku islands,<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> with a 1980 survey finding that Uotsuri had 339 species of plants. These ecological communities varied based on altitude, with the communities being divided into windswept mountaintop vegetation with Podocarpus macrophyllus trees, with the understory including Liriope muscari and Rhaphiolepis umbellata, inclined high forest including the palms Livistona chinensis and Arenga engleri, lowland windswept shrub forest including Ficus microcarpa and Planchonella obovata, and seashore plants. Minamikojima was much less diverse, and dominated by grasses, while Kitakojima only had sparse plant life.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> Kuba has a forest near the crater, which includes a variety of flora including Ceodes umbellifera, Macaranga tanarius, Ficus benjamina, Diospyros maritima, Trema orientalis, Machilus thunbergii, and Livistona subglobosa, with forest floor plants being sparse.<ref name=":4" />

Animals

In an account by Template:Ill in 1900, it was noted the large number of birds present on the islands, tens of thousands of short-tailed and black-footed albatross would flock on Uotsuri-shima, in the colder months, while hundreds of thousands of sooty tern and brown noddy would descend on Kitakojima and Minamikojima in the warmer months. He also described the air of Uotsuri as swarming with bluebottle flies and mosquitoes. In the same year, an account by Template:Ill, surveying Kuba Island, noted the presence of whimbrel, Von Schrenck's bittern, the streaked shearwater, and the brown booby. Mikinosuke also noted the large number of chickens and feral cats on the island, with dozens of cats descending on the seabirds at night.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kitakojima and Minamikojima are one of only two significant breeding places of the rare short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus).<ref name=":3" /> The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.<ref name=bli>Template:Cite web</ref>

Uotsuri-shima, the largest island, has a number of endemic species such as the Senkaku mole (Mogera uchidai) and Okinawa-kuro-oo-ari ant. Due to the introduction of domestic goats to the island in 1978, the Senkaku mole is now an endangered species.<ref>Zoological Society of London, EDGE (Evolutionary Distinct & Globally Endangered) Senkaku mole, 2006; retrieved November 15, 2010.</ref> The striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) has also been noted to be present on Uotsuri. Surveys from 1900 to 1953 and noted the presence of the Asian house shrew, black rats and fruit bats but these were not noted in more recent surveys.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

Six species of reptile have been recorded from the islands, including Gekko hokouensis (Uotsuri, Minami) Eumeces elegans (Uotsuri, Minami), an indeterminate species of Scincella (Uotsuri) Ramphotyphlops braminus (Uotsuri) Elaphe carinata (Uotsuri) and Dinodon rufozonatus (Uotsuri).<ref name=":0" />

Rich marine biodiversity adjacent to the islands has been recognized but poorly studied. Seemingly, varieties of larger fish and animals inhabit or migrate through the area, including tunas, sharks, marlins, critically endangered hawksbill sea turtles, dolphins, pilot whales, sperm whales, and humpback whales.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sovereignty dispute

Template:Main Territorial sovereignty over the islands and the maritime boundaries around them are disputed between the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China, and Japan.

The People's Republic and Republic of China claim that the islands have been a part of Chinese territory since at least 1534. China acknowledges that Japan took control of the islands in 1894–1895 during the first Sino-Japanese War, through the signature of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. China asserts that the Potsdam Declaration required that Japan relinquish control of all islands except for "the islands of Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine", and China states that this means control of the islands should pass to Republic of China, which was part of China at the time of the first Sino-Japanese War as well as of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Both the People's Republic of China (PRC)<ref name="cihai">Template:Cite book</ref> and the Republic of China (ROC)<ref name="revisedtyt">Template:Cite web</ref> respectively separately claim sovereignty based on arguments that include the following points:

Japan does not accept that there is a dispute, asserting that the islands are an integral part of Japan.<ref>Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS). (2000). Template:Google books</ref> Japan has rejected claims that the islands were under China's control prior to 1895, and that these islands were contemplated by the Potsdam Declaration or affected by the San Francisco Peace Treaty.<ref>Ji, pp. 11–12, 19. Template:Webarchive</ref>

The stance given by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that the Senkaku Islands are clearly an inherent territory of Japan, in light of historical facts and based upon international law, and the Senkaku Islands are under the valid control of Japan. They also state "there exists no issue of territorial sovereignty to be resolved concerning the Senkaku Islands."<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Verify source</ref><ref>Template:Cite news Template:Verify source</ref> The following points are given:

  • The islands had been uninhabited and showed no trace of having been under the control of China prior to 1895.<ref name="mofa.go.jp">Template:Cite web Template:Verify source</ref>
  • The purposes of maps and the intentions behind their creators can vary significantly, and the mere existence of an ancient map does not substantiate claims of territorial sovereignty. The map (1785) cited by China from Hayashi Shihei does not provide evidence that the creator's coloring was intended to indicate territorial sovereignty. This map also depicts Taiwan as only about one-third the size of Okinawa's main island, and it is colored differently from mainland China, which controlled Taiwan at the time. This suggests that the creator did not possess accurate knowledge.<ref name=":5" />
  • The islands were neither part of Taiwan nor part of the Pescadores Islands, which were ceded to Japan by the Qing Dynasty of China in Article II of the May 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki,<ref name="mofa.go.jp" /> thus were not renounced by Japan under Article II of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which serves as the international law addressing the aftermath of WW2.<ref>Satoru Sato, Press Secretary, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Letter to the Editor: Clarifying the Senkaku Islands Dispute Template:Webarchive The Wall Street Journal, 21 September 2010 Template:Verify source</ref>
  • A resident of Okinawa Prefecture who had been engaging in activities such as fishery around the Senkaku Islands since around 1884 made an application for the lease of the islands, and approval was granted by the Meiji Government in 1896. After this approval, he sent a total of 248 workers to those islands and ran the following businesses: constructing piers,<ref>Template:Cite video Template:Verify source</ref> collecting bird feathers, manufacturing dried bonito, collecting coral, raising cattle, manufacturing canned goods and collecting mineral phosphate guano (bird manure for fuel use). The fact that the Meiji Government gave approval concerning the use of the Senkaku Islands to an individual, who in turn was able to openly run these businesses mentioned above based on the approval, demonstrates Japan's valid control over the Islands.<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Verify source</ref>
  • In May 1920, a thank-you letter from the Republic of China's consulate in Nagasaki regarding the rescue of Chinese fishermen in distress near the Senkaku Islands by Japanese fishermen included the notation "Senkaku Islands, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Empire of Japan."<ref name=":5" />
  • Though the islands were controlled by the United States as an occupying power between 1945 and 1972, Japan has since 1972 exercised administration over the islands.
  • In 1953, the official Chinese newspaper People's Daily published an article that explicitly stated that the Ryukyu Islands consist of seven island groups, including the Senkaku Islands. Additionally, in the world atlas published by the China Map Press in 1958 (reprinted in 1960), these islands were clearly referred to as the "Senkaku Islands" and considered part of Okinawa.<ref name=":52">Template:Cite web Template:Verify source</ref>
  • The Republic of China and the People's Republic of China only started claiming ownership of the islands in 1971, following a May 1969 United Nations report that a large oil and gas reserve may exist under the seabed near the islands.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Verify source</ref><ref name=":5">Template:Cite web Template:Verify source</ref>

In 2012 the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs created a webpage in support of its claims.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Separately, in a 2012 government statement Beijing declaring the territorial-sea baselines for Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islets, framing the claimed 12-nautical-mile waters around the group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In late 2014 the National Marine Data and Information Service, a department under the State Oceanic Administration of China created a website of its own to support its claims.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 22 June 2020, the Ishigaki City Council voted to change the name of the area containing the Senkaku Islands from "Tonoshiro" to "Tonoshiro Senkaku".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Republic of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that the islands belong to Republic of China, and any moves to deny this fact are invalid.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Taiwanese government and the opposition KMT party also condemned the council's move, saying the Islands are ROC territory and the nation would not give up even "an inch" of its sovereignty.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

United States' position

The official and successive US position takes no stance on the ultimate sovereignty. During the 1971–72 reversion debate, the United States stated that it could only return to Japan what it had originally received, namely, administrative rights, not sovereignty. Accordingly, the Okinawa Reversion Agreement was structured to transfer administrative rights only and “does not affect the legal status” of the islands' sovereignty; successive US administrations have taken no position on ultimate sovereignty, while treating the controversy as a matter for the parties to resolve.<ref>Template:Cite report

"The United States believes that a return of administrative rights over those islands to Japan, from which the rights were received, can in no way prejudice any underlying claims. The United States cannot add to the legal rights Japan possessed before it transferred administration of the islands to us, nor can the United States, by giving back what it received, diminish the rights of other claimants. The United States has made no claim to the Senkaku Islands and considers that any conflicting claims to the islands are a matter for resolution by the parties concerned."</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>

Both the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China protested the inclusion of the islets in the reversion arrangements and asserted their own claims: on 15 March 1971 the ROC submitted a note verbale in Washington asserting that Diaoyutai is ROC territory, to which the US replied that returning administrative rights to Japan would not affect ROC's sovereignty claims; PRC statements likewise rejected the reversion and asserted that Diaoyu Dao is China’s territory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Post-2012 escalation

Since the 2012 flare-up, China has significantly increased its maritime and air activities surrounding the islands aimed at undermining Japan's long-standing physical control, prompting reciprocal responses from Japan. Chinese vessels have increasingly entered the contiguous zone adjacent to the territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, with near-daily frequency, prompting the Japan Coast Guard to respond by consistently shadowing and issuing warnings.<ref name=":7" /> In 2013, China also established an East China Sea ADIZ that includes the airspace over the Senkaku islands, which drew protests from Japan and was widely analyzed by international security sources.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2016 the Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida told China's foreign minister Wang Yi "that the activity represented an escalation of tensions". It was the first meeting of the top diplomats since the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling against China's South China Sea claims<ref>Page, Jeremy, "Tribunal Rejects Beijing's Claims to South China Sea" Template:Webarchive, Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-24.</ref><ref>Dyer, Geoff, and Tom Mitchell, "South China Sea: Building up trouble" Template:Webarchive, Financial Times, July 15, 2016. With high-resolution aerial image of Fiery Cross Reef. Retrieved 2016-08-24.</ref> and was coincident with a three-party meeting (including South Korea) relative to a North Korean submarine-launched missile in the Sea of Japan.<ref>Obe, Mitsuru, "Japan Presses China on Vessels Sailing Near Disputed Islands" Template:Webarchive, Wall Street Journal, August 24, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-24.</ref>

The martime campaign of China has intensified since 2019, with its vessels attempting to harass Japanese fishing boats and China Coast Guard gaining legal authority in 2021 to fire on foreign ships.<ref name=":7" />

In 2024, media reporting based on Japan Coast Guard statistics described a near year-round presence of Chinese government vessels in the contiguous zone (355 days) and dozens of territorial-sea entries; The Diplomat reported 42 such days,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while Stars and Stripes cited Japan Coast Guard figures of 39 incursions within 12 nautical miles that year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 21–24 March 2025, four China Coast Guard vessels remained inside waters claimed by Japan for a record 92 hours and 8 minutes, according to contemporary reports citing Japan Coast Guard releases.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In May 2025, Japan and China exchanged accusations of an airspace violation near the islands following a China Coast Guard helicopter flight; both sides lodged protests.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Short-duration entries into waters claimed by Japan continued later in 2025, according to Jiji Press bulletins.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> More generally, wire-service reporting has chronicled routine instances in which the China Coast Guard announces patrols around Diaoyu Islands while the Japan Coast Guard issues warnings for Chinese vessels to leave waters claimed by Japan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Diaoyu Islands: The Truth is a documentary film produced by Chris D. Nebe and J.J. Osbun of Monarex Hollywood Corporation and directed by Chris D. Nebe. Nebe calls on the Japanese Government to cede the islands to China, asserting that Japan has no justifiable claim to the islands, and that the United States of America has turned a blind eye in Japan's favor due to the need of the United States to have a strong ally between it and China. Reception of the film was positive in Chinese media, while the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Correspondents Report called Nebe a 'Chinese propagandist' in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2018 the National Museum of Territory and Sovereignty (currently located in the Toranomon Mitsui Building, Chiyoda, Tokyo) was established by the Japanese government to raise public awareness of Japanese territorial rights issues concerning the Senkaku Islands, as well as issues concerning territorial claims to Takeshima and southernmost Kuril Islands.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

Notes

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Footnotes

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References

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Further reading

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