The Socio-Historical Contexts of Territorial Disputes:

the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands

Pivoting for Peace in Asia-PacificCambridge Friends Meeting

April 19, 2014

The Three Territorial Disputes

The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands

The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islets

The Islets and the Surrounding Area

1. Geography

• The location: within a stone’s throw of Taiwan

• “Diaoyu” [釣魚島 ]: “Fishing Islands”• Cf. “Senkaku” [尖閣 ]: “a pointed place,” “a steep hill”

Rich in fish—and oil and gas

However, the issue at stake may not so much be about the natural resources themselves, but rather…

2. History• The context of the imperial/colonial expansion

– Japan’s claim:• 1872-79: the Ryukyu Kingdom abolished and turned into

Okinawa Prefecture• 1894-95: the Sino-Japanese War• 1895: the Senkakus incorporated into Japan

– China’s claim:• The islands were known, named, and recorded at least

since the 15th century; they have always seen as a part of Taiwan

• 1970s-80s: Shelving the territorial disputes

– 1972: the normalization of diplomatic relations• Premier Zhou Enlai: “We should abandon small

differences/disputes for the sake of bigger common interests.”

– 1978: the Japan-China Peace & Friendship Treaty• Deng Xiaoping: “We don’t mind putting the territorial issue

aside for years in the spirit of ‘Peace Treaty’…. By putting aside, our generation may not be able to find a solution, but I believe that a next generation, or one after the next, for sure, should be able to do so.”

3. The Social Context: China (an outsider’s observation)

• The late 1980s to 1990s1989: the Tinamen Square Massacre1991: the fall of the Soviet Union

– The limits of the communist ideology to gain the support of the nation

– The use of patriotism and nationalism to hold the country together• Japan as an easy target: creating an external tension,

controlling and consolidating the population at home

• 2010: a Chinese fishing boat collided with a Japanese Coastal Guard ship

• 2012: the Japanese government purchased the islands from an “owner.”

(To avoid further tension and damage that would have caused by the purchase by the Tokyo metropolitan government led by the ultra-nationalist governor Ishihara)

Each followed by wide-spread (but the government controlled?) anti-Japanese protests in China

4. The Social Context: Japan• The regional tension—convenient for Japan

(The Abe Administration, LDP, and other conservative, right-wing parties)

– Pushing their agenda: restoring the military might with neoliberal economic policy

– Increasing emphasis on nationalism and patriotism• Creating a population willing to die for the country and to

overlook the internal differences (wealth and poverty)

– A kind of the “Shock Doctrine” (Naomi Klein)

• The regional tension—convenient for the US

– Can play a role of an arbiter; the tension gives the US a reason to be in the region—to ease the tension

– Solidifying the presence of the US in Asia-Pacific• The US-Japan military alliance• The military bases in Okinawa

Not just the Japanese conservative, but more general public may allow, even want, the US armed forces in Japan

• Yet, in spite of the convenience, Japan does not want to cross the line—China, after all, is an enormous market.

• But no end-game in sight:

The territorial disputes and

the national pride, saving face, nationalism

(a dangerous combination)

5. Some of the Latest• The disputed territories to be mentioned in

elementary school textbooks (from 2015)

• Increasing conservatism/nationalism among the youth– The Gubernatorial Election of Tokyo (Feb. 2014)

• The lowering the age requirement (20 to 18) for the national referendum

• The Okinawans’ negative view on China

Okinawans View of Neighboring Countries

Impression of China Impression of Taiwan

50.5% Rather not good impression38.9% Not good impression7.4% Rather good impression0.9% Good impression2.4% No response

62.6% Rather good impression17.2% Good impression14.8% Rather not good impression1.8% Not good impression3.5% No response

Source: The Regional Safety Policy Dept., Okinawa Prefecture, April 15, 2014

6. Conclusion• The internal affairs in each country may be more at stake

in the territorial disputes:

– Maintaining the credibility of the Communist regime using nationalism

– Reviving that old national slogan: “a wealthy nation with strong armed forces” (the late 19th to early 20th century); pushing the militarist and neoliberal agendas

• “War is a fundamentally internal policy; it has been fought to control the population at home.”-- Howard Zinn quoting George Orwell