On Monday, Japan’s Ishigaki City Council in Okinawa passed a bill to rename a group of islands claimed by both Japan and China. The uninhabited island chain, known as Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China is located about 1,931 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, and has been administered by Japan since 1972. However, China asserts that the islands are an “inherent part” of Chinese territory, saying that its claims to the isles date back hundreds of years.
Monday’s bill changes the name of the area in southern Japan containing the islands from “Tonoshiro” to “Tonoshiro Senkaku”. China has slammed the decision, calling the move “a serious provocation on China’s territorial sovereignty”. It also urged Japan to “abide by the spirit of the four-principle consensus, avoid creating new incidents on the Diaoyu Islands issue, and take practical actions to maintain the stability of the East China Sea situation”. One of the key principles stipulates that Japan acknowledge the disputed nature of the territory.
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Local authorities, however, dismissed any concerns, claiming that the renaming, which will take effect on October 1, is merely aimed at resolving administrative confusion within another area of Ishigaki, which shares the name “Tonoshiro” with the islands. “The approval of this case did not take into consideration the influence of other countries, but was considered to improve the efficiency of administrative procedures,” the council said.
Beijing, however, remains unconvinced, and has criticized Japanese actions, calling them “illegal and invalid”. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian emphasized that China has the “unshakable will to protect its own sovereignty” and “reserves the right to take further measures in response”. The Chinese Coast Guard also said that a fleet of its ships was near the islands on Monday.
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Fears of a possible confrontation between the two nations were heightened last week when the Japan Coast Guard announced that Chinese ships have been spotted in the waters close to the islands every day since April 14.
Responding to the increasing Chinese presence last week, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga spoke of Tokyo’s resolve to address the issue in a calm manner, saying: “The Senkaku Islands are under our control and are unquestionably our territory historically and under international law. It is extremely serious that these activities continue. We will respond to the Chinese side firmly and calmly”.
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China is already currently embroiled in a tense border standoff with India. If tensions escalate between Beijing and Tokyo and trigger a military confrontation, it could involve the United States as well. The US is a signatory of a mutual defense treaty with Japan, and is obligated to defend it if Japanese territory is attacked by a foreign power.
Image Source: Council for Foreign Relations