04-07-2017, 09:37 PM
*** 8-Apr-17 World View -- Japan to repopulate 148 remote islands, as confrontation with China looms
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Japan to repopulate 148 remote islands, as confrontation with China looms
****
![[Image: g140220b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g140220b.jpg)
The Senkaku Islands are thought to be in the midst of vast gas and oil resources (Reuters)
Japan's government has announced plans to repopulate a cluster of 148
small, rocky islands in the hope of deterring China from unilaterally
declaring that they're China's sovereign territory, as it has done
illegally in the South China Sea.
Among these are the Senkaku Islands, which have been the focus
military near-confrontations in the past few years. The population of
the remote islands has declined by 51.3% since 1955, and restoring
even small population on 71 of the outlying islands could deter China.
There are around 6,800 islands in the archipelago, and
The announcement calls for the construction of civic facilities, the
purchasing of land, the improvement of ports and stopping foreign
vessels from illegally visiting the islands.
The greatest focus has been on the Senkaku Islands, – a chain of five
uninhabited islets and three barren rocks in the East China Sea – were
uninhabited until 1895 when Japan laid claim to them. In the ensuing
decades, the Japanese populated the chain and even set up a
fish-processing plant on one of the islands. The United States took
control of the islands during the occupation of Japan following World
War II, and handed them back in 1972. At that time, China claimed the
islands, citing ancient texts and maps, and claiming that Japan's
actions in 1895 were illegal.
In early February, three Chinese warships sailed into the water near
the Senkaku Islands, risking a military confrontation and stoking
tensions between the two countries.
Even riskier is the increased intrusion into Japanese airspace of
Chinese military aircraft, usually other fighter jets, sometimes a
bomber or reconnaissance plane. The number of such intrusions is now
averaging two per day since April of last year, nearly twice as many
as in the prior 12 months. Japan responds to each such intrusion by
scrambling up to four F-15 fighter jets to intercept the Chinese
military aircraft.
Analysts are concerned that the situation in the East China Sea is
becoming more and more volatile, more so than even in the South China
Sea, where China has illegally built artificial islands nad military
bases, and that a war in the East China Sea could break out at any
time.
The populations of Japan and China have become highly nationalistic
over their respective claims to these islands, in this generational
Crisis era. The frequency of these intrusions by both warships and
warplanes and the resulting intercepts raise the possibility of an
accident or miscalculation that could spiral into something bigger.
Japan Times and CNBC and Fox News and American Interest
Related Articles
****
**** Taiwan and Japan try to settle their disputes peacefully
****
Last week, a report from a nationalist Japanese media source accused
Taiwan to sending a record high number of scientific research vessels
to "intrude" into Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) near the
Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by Taiwan as well as by China and
Japan. The report suggested that Taiwan's "unauthorized activities"
included fishing in addition to illegal maritime research.
If this kind of dispute had arisen between China and Japan, there
might have been a military confrontation by now. But Taiwan and
Japan, who presumably want to cooperate because of their common enemy
(China), have a history of settling these kinds of disputes peacefully
in recent years.
In April 2013, Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement to
address a decades-long dispute over fishing in contested waters in the
East China Sea. On October 31 of last year, the two sides agreed to
meet at least once a year and to establish two working groups — one on
fishery cooperation and another regarding cooperation in scientific
research. China Post (Taiwan) and Japan Times and The Diplomat
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Japan, Senkaku, Senkaku Islands, Taiwan,
East China Sea, South China Sea
Permanent web link to this article
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Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Japan to repopulate 148 remote islands, as confrontation with China looms
- Taiwan and Japan try to settle their disputes peacefully
****
**** Japan to repopulate 148 remote islands, as confrontation with China looms
****
The Senkaku Islands are thought to be in the midst of vast gas and oil resources (Reuters)
Japan's government has announced plans to repopulate a cluster of 148
small, rocky islands in the hope of deterring China from unilaterally
declaring that they're China's sovereign territory, as it has done
illegally in the South China Sea.
Among these are the Senkaku Islands, which have been the focus
military near-confrontations in the past few years. The population of
the remote islands has declined by 51.3% since 1955, and restoring
even small population on 71 of the outlying islands could deter China.
There are around 6,800 islands in the archipelago, and
The announcement calls for the construction of civic facilities, the
purchasing of land, the improvement of ports and stopping foreign
vessels from illegally visiting the islands.
The greatest focus has been on the Senkaku Islands, – a chain of five
uninhabited islets and three barren rocks in the East China Sea – were
uninhabited until 1895 when Japan laid claim to them. In the ensuing
decades, the Japanese populated the chain and even set up a
fish-processing plant on one of the islands. The United States took
control of the islands during the occupation of Japan following World
War II, and handed them back in 1972. At that time, China claimed the
islands, citing ancient texts and maps, and claiming that Japan's
actions in 1895 were illegal.
In early February, three Chinese warships sailed into the water near
the Senkaku Islands, risking a military confrontation and stoking
tensions between the two countries.
Even riskier is the increased intrusion into Japanese airspace of
Chinese military aircraft, usually other fighter jets, sometimes a
bomber or reconnaissance plane. The number of such intrusions is now
averaging two per day since April of last year, nearly twice as many
as in the prior 12 months. Japan responds to each such intrusion by
scrambling up to four F-15 fighter jets to intercept the Chinese
military aircraft.
Analysts are concerned that the situation in the East China Sea is
becoming more and more volatile, more so than even in the South China
Sea, where China has illegally built artificial islands nad military
bases, and that a war in the East China Sea could break out at any
time.
The populations of Japan and China have become highly nationalistic
over their respective claims to these islands, in this generational
Crisis era. The frequency of these intrusions by both warships and
warplanes and the resulting intercepts raise the possibility of an
accident or miscalculation that could spiral into something bigger.
Japan Times and CNBC and Fox News and American Interest
Related Articles
- China sails warships near Japan's Senkaku Islands (07-Feb-2017)
- Japan-China relations 'deteriorate significantly' after repeated Chinese provocations (11-Aug-2016)
- Obama says U.S. will defend Japan over Senkaku Islands (24-Apr-2014)
- US reaffirms defense of Japan's Senkaku Islands (28-Apr-2015)
- China's 'ironclad proof' of South China Sea claims revealed as hoax (22-Jun-2016)
****
**** Taiwan and Japan try to settle their disputes peacefully
****
Last week, a report from a nationalist Japanese media source accused
Taiwan to sending a record high number of scientific research vessels
to "intrude" into Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) near the
Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by Taiwan as well as by China and
Japan. The report suggested that Taiwan's "unauthorized activities"
included fishing in addition to illegal maritime research.
If this kind of dispute had arisen between China and Japan, there
might have been a military confrontation by now. But Taiwan and
Japan, who presumably want to cooperate because of their common enemy
(China), have a history of settling these kinds of disputes peacefully
in recent years.
In April 2013, Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement to
address a decades-long dispute over fishing in contested waters in the
East China Sea. On October 31 of last year, the two sides agreed to
meet at least once a year and to establish two working groups — one on
fishery cooperation and another regarding cooperation in scientific
research. China Post (Taiwan) and Japan Times and The Diplomat
Related Articles
- Japan's Shinzo Abe blames WW II on the Smoot-Hawley Tariff act (15-Aug-2015)
- China is training for a 'short, sharp war' with Japan (21-Feb-2014)
- Asians increasingly talk about war between China and Japan (27-Dec-2012)
- Little input from Taiwan in the Japan - China dispute over the Senkaku Islands (17-Nov-2012)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Japan, Senkaku, Senkaku Islands, Taiwan,
East China Sea, South China Sea
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
