The Diaoyu / Senkaku Islands Dispute Questions of Sovereignty and Suggestions for Resolving the Dispute By Martin Lohmeyer A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Laws in the Faculty of Law, University of Canterbury 2008 Content Content ....................................................................................................................1 Acknowledgements..................................................................................................9 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................11 1.1. Emergence of the name of the islands ................................................................15 1.2. Location, topography, geological features and vegetation ...............................17 1.3. Legal question arising from this dispute............................................................21 1.3.1. Domestic Maritime legislation.................................................................................... 22 1.3.2. Legal Effect on national legislation of the Parties of dispute...................................... 22 2. Political Implications of the Conflict ...............................................................24 2.1. Diaoyu / Senkaku relation to oil..........................................................................24 2.2. Diaoyu Islands as a symbol for Sino-Japanese relations ..................................27 2.2.1. Diaoyu / Senkaku island as a proxy conflict ............................................................... 27 2.2.2. Historical rise of nationalism in the countries............................................................. 28 2.2.3. Chinese Nationalism ................................................................................................... 29 2.2.4. Japan’s Nationalism .................................................................................................... 34 2.2.5. Taiwanese Nationalism............................................................................................... 35 2.3. Impact on disputes over other islands................................................................37 2.3.1. Okinotorishima............................................................................................................ 37 2.3.2. Kurile Islands Dispute................................................................................................. 39 2.3.3. Takeshima / Dokdo / Liancourt Rocks Islands ........................................................... 40 2.3.4. Torishima / Danjo Gunto ............................................................................................ 41 2.3.5. Spratly– Paracel- Pratas- Macclesfield Islands / Reefs ............................................... 41 2.4. Mutual Economic Dependence............................................................................42 2.4.1. Taiwan – Chinese / mainland trade relation................................................................ 42 2.4.2. Japan – China / Mainland trade relation...................................................................... 43 2.4.3. Taiwanese / Japanese Trade relation........................................................................... 44 2.5. U.S. interests in the dispute .................................................................................44 3. History of the Conflict from 1372 to today.......................................................46 3.1. Missions of the Ming Dynasty to the Ryukyu....................................................46 Kingdom.......................................................................................................................46 3.1.1. Chen Kan Mission in 1532.......................................................................................... 47 3.1.2. Kuo Ju Lin Mission in 1561........................................................................................ 48 3.1.3. Xiao Chong Mission in 1576 ...................................................................................... 49 3.1.4. Xia Ziyang Mission in 1606........................................................................................ 50 3.1.5. Shunfeng Xiangsong Logbook of 1403 ...................................................................... 51 3.1.6. Defence Manuals......................................................................................................... 51 3.1.6.1. Zheng Ruozheng manual of 1561 ............................................................................ 51 3.1.6.2. Military relation between China and the Ryukyu .................................................... 52 3.2. Missions to the Ryukyu Kingdom in Qing Dynasty ..........................................52 3.2.1. Records of Zhang Xueli mission in 1663.................................................................... 52 3.2.2. Records of Wang Chi in 1683..................................................................................... 53 3.2.3. Xu Baoguang Mission in 1709.................................................................................... 54 3.2.4. Zhou Huang Mission in 1755...................................................................................... 56 3.2.5. Geographer’s point of view......................................................................................... 56 3.2.5.1. Hayashi Shifei.......................................................................................................... 56 3.2.5.2. Cheng Shuntse in 1708............................................................................................. 56 3.2.5.3. Lin Tzu-ping in 1785 ............................................................................................... 57 3.2.6. Location for gathering herbs and fishing .................................................................... 57 3.3. Japan’s discovery of the Diaoyu Islands ............................................................57 3.3.1. Japan’s Invasion to the Ryukyu Kingdom .................................................................. 57 3.3.2. China’s - Japanese Mediation as a suite to Japan’s Invasion ...................................... 58 3.3.3. Japan’s Discovery of the Islands in 1884.................................................................... 58 3.3.4. Japan’s acquisition of the Senkaku Islands ................................................................. 59 3.3.4.1. Background of Japan’s tardiness.............................................................................. 59 3.3.4.2. First Letter of Okinawa Prefecture Magistrate in 1885............................................ 60 3.3.4.3. Letter of the Foreign Secretary in 1885 ................................................................... 61 3.3.4.4. Second Okinawa Magistrate’s letter in 1885 ........................................................... 62 3.3.4.5. Response of the Home Secretary ............................................................................. 62 3.3.4.6. Further letters of request of Okinawa’s Magistrate.................................................. 63 3.3.4.7. Decree of Empress Dowager Cixi of 1893............................................................... 63 3.3.4.8. Information of Okinawa Prefecture in 1894............................................................. 64 3.3.4.9. Sino - Japanese War 1894 / 1895............................................................................. 65 3.3.4.10. Cabinet Decision on January 14th, 1895................................................................. 65 3.3.4.11. Treaty of Shimonoseki of April 17th, 1895............................................................. 67 3.3.4.12. Imperial Decree No. 13 on March 5th, 1896........................................................... 67 3.3.4.13. Taiwanese Consul General in Nagasaki 1920........................................................ 69 3.3.4.14. Koga ran Japanese business on the island until 1920s ........................................... 70 3.3.4.15. Tokyo Court Ruling 1941-44................................................................................. 70 3.4. The Islands status in the post-war era................................................................71 3.4.1. Cairo Declaration 1943 ............................................................................................... 71 3.4.2. Yalta Conference 1945................................................................................................ 72 3.4.3. Potsdam Declaration in 1945 ...................................................................................... 72 3.4.4. Japanese Surrender August 15th, 1945 ........................................................................ 73 3.4.5. Decree 667 of the U.N. ............................................................................................... 73 3.4.6. American occupation .................................................................................................. 73 3.4.6.1. American Maps........................................................................................................ 73 3.4.6.2. Ordinance No. 22 in 1950 ........................................................................................ 74 3.4.7. Background of the two separate treaties ..................................................................... 74 3.4.7.1. San Francisco Treaty in 1951..................................................................................