The Senkaku Islands ("Diaoyutai" in Chinese) are a group of disputed, uninhabited islands currently administered by Japan but also claimed by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan). The islands are located roughly northeast of Taiwan, due west of Okinawa, and due north of the end of the Ryukyu Islands in the East China Sea. Motto Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Official languages Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  -  President Chen Shui-bian  -  Vice President Annette Lu  -  Premier Chang Chun-hsiung... This article is about the prefecture. ... Location of Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the Nansei Islands ) are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea. ... The East China Sea is a marginal sea and part of the Pacific Ocean. ... They are also known in western references and literature as the Pinnacle Islands, a name given by British navigators, which is also the probable source for the Japanese name. The Chinese name for the island group (Diaoyu) and the Japanese name for the main island (Uotsuri) both literally mean "Angling". Their status has emerged as a major issue in foreign relations between China and Japan. Relations between the PRC and the ROC have also complicated the situation. China and Japan have had a long official and non-official relationship. ... Taiwan Strait Cross-Strait Relations, or Relations across the Taiwan Strait, deals with the complex relationship and interactions between mainland China (which sits on the west of Taiwan Strait) and Taiwan (which is located in the east of the Strait). ... The Ryukyu islands chain, a part of Japan and the East China Sea region holding the disputed terratory. Map of East China Sea. ... Map of East China Sea. ... Location of Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the Nansei Islands ) are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea. ... The East China Sea is a marginal sea and part of the Pacific Ocean. ... Geography Total islands area: 7 square kilometers (2.7 square miles) Population: 0 Geographic coordinates: 25°58' - 25°41'45" N, 123°27'45" - 124°41'30" E around 25°47′53″N, 124°03′21″eCoordinates: 25°47′53″N, 124°03′21″e The islands group In Japan, the islands are considered part of the Ryukyu Islands. They are 170 kilometers (105.6 mi) north of Ishigaki Island, Japan; 170 kilometers (105.6 mi) northeast of Keelung, Taiwan; and 410 km (254.8 mi) west of Okinawa Island. Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Location of Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the Nansei Islands ) are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea. ... Ishigaki, Okinawa ... Keelung City (Traditional Chinese: 基隆; Hanyu Pinyin: JÄ«lóng; Tongyong Pinyin: Jilóng; Wade-Giles: Chi-lung; POJ: Ke-lâng) is a provincial city of Taiwan, Republic of China. ... km redirects here. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... Okinawa Island (沖縄本島 Okinawa-hontō, the main island of Okinawa) is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands at the edge of the East China Sea, helping to define the seas boundary with the open Pacific Ocean. ... The PRC argues that the islands sit on the edge of the continental shelf of mainland Asia, and are separated from the Ryukyu Islands by a sea trench, while Japan considers that the continental shelf stretches to the much deeper Nansei-shoto Trench, east to the Southwest Islands and that the islands and the Ryukyu Islands are on the same continental shelf. Location of Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the Nansei Islands ) are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea. ... The group is made up of five small volcanic islands: This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... Uotsuri Jima/Diaoyu Dao Uotsuri Jima (魚釣島) or Diaoyu Dao (釣魚島本島 "Angling Island" or 主島) is the largest island of the Senkaku Islands. The Island located at 25°44′39″N, 123°28′26″E has an area of 4,319 km² (1,668 sq mi)and a highest elevation of 383m (1,256 ft).[2] Uotsuri jima has a number of endemic species such as the Senkaku mole ( Nesoscaptor uchidai) and Okinawa-kuro-oo-ari ant, but these have become threatened by domestic goats that were introduced to the island in 1978 and whose population has increased to over 300 since that time.[1] In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... Species See Species and subspecies The genus Capra is a genus of mammals consisting of nine species, including the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ...

Senkaku / Diaoyutai    [edit] Location of the islands (inside red rectangle and inset). 1 Uotsuri Jima/Diaoyu Dao, 2 Taisho Jima/Chiwei Yu, 3 Kuba Jima/Huangwei Yu, 4 Kita Kojima/Beixiao Dao, 5 Minami Kojima/Nanxiao Dao, 6 Okino Kitaiwa/Da bei xiao dao, 7 Okino Minami-iwa/Da nan xiao dao, 8 Tobise/Fei lai dao Japanese name Kanji 尖閣諸島 Hepburn romanization Senkaku Shotō Chinese name Traditional Chinese 釣魚台群島 Simplified Chinese 钓鱼台群岛 Pinyin Diàoyútái Qúndǎo English name English spelling Pinnacle Islands Contents 1 Geography 1.1 The islands group 1.1.1 Uotsuri Jima/Diaoyu Dao 1.1.2 Kuba Jima/Huangwei Yu 1.1.3 Taisho Jima/Chiwei Yu 1.1.4 Kita Kojima/Beixiao Dao 1.1.5 Minami Kojima/Nanxiao Dao 1.1.6 Other islands 2 Territorial dispute 2.1 Beginning of the dispute 2.2 Chinese claims 2.2.1 Ming Dynasty claim 2.2.2 Qing Dynasty claim 2.2.3 Unequal Treaties 2.2.4 Tokyo court ruling 2.3 Japanese claims 2.3.1 Formal incorporation 2.3.2 History of Ming 2.3.3 Beiyang warlord admission 2.3.4 United States occupation 2.4 Recent developments 3 See also 4 Footnotes 5 References 6 External links

Aerial view of Uotsuri-jima / Diaoyu-dao

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1160x580, 24 KB)Map of the disputed Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1160x580, 24 KB)Map of the disputed Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji   ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Arabic numerals. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji The Hepburn romanization system ) is named after James Curtis Hepburn, who used it to transcribe the sounds of the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet in the third edition of his Japanese–English dictionary, published... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (831x405, 208 KB) 尖閣諸島魚釣島の航空写真 国土交通省の4つの航空写真を合成したもの。元画像は[1]、[2]、[3]、 [4]で、すべて1978年撮影。 Uotsuri-jima, Senkaku Islands, Japan This is a composite picture of four aerial photos. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (831x405, 208 KB) 尖閣諸島魚釣島の航空写真 国土交通省の4つの航空写真を合成したもの。元画像は[1]、[2]、[3]、 [4]で、すべて1978年撮影。 Uotsuri-jima, Senkaku Islands, Japan This is a composite picture of four aerial photos. ...

Kuba Jima/Huangwei Yu

Kuba Jima (久場島) or Huangwei Yu (黃尾嶼 "Yellow Tail") is located at 25°55′23″N, 123°40′59″E has an area of 1.08 square kilometers (0.4 sq mi) and a highest elevation of 117 meters (383.9 ft).[3]

Taisho Jima/Chiwei Yu

Taisho Jima (大正島) or Chiwei Yu (赤尾嶼 "Red Tail") (also "Chi Yu", "Chi kan Yu", "Chi Wei Shan", "Chi Wei Dao", "Chi Wei Jiao") is located at 25°55′18″N, 124°33′34″E has an area of 0.609 square kilometers (0.2 sq mi) and a highest elevation of 75 meters (246.1 ft).[4] Both the People's Republic of China and Republic of China claim it as their easternmost island. Motto Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Official languages Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  -  President Chen Shui-bian  -  Vice President Annette Lu  -  Premier Chang Chun-hsiung...

The US Navy used Kuba Jima/Huangwei Yu and Taisho Jima/Chiwei Yu as maneuver areas after World War II.

The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Kita Kojima/Beixiao Dao

Kita Kojima or Beixiao Dao (北小島 "Northern Islet") is located at 25°43′48″N, 123°32′33″E and has an area of 0.31 km² (77 acres) and a highest elevation of 125 m (410 ft).[5]

Minami Kojima/Nanxiao Dao

Minami Kojima or Nanxiao Dao (南小島 "Southern Islet") is located at 25°43′21″N, 123°33′07″E and has an area of 0.40 km² (100 acres) and a highest elevation of 139 m (456 ft).

Minami Kojima is one of the few breeding places of the rare Short-tailed Albatross. Binomial name Phoebastria albatrus Pallas, 1769 The Short-tailed Albatross or Stellers Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) is a large rare seabird from the North Pacific. ...

Other islands

There are also three larger rocks:

• Okino Kitaiwa (沖ノ北岩, Northern Rocks of the Offshore^?) or Da bei xiao dao (大北小島 "Great northern small island") [6]
• Okino Minami-iwa (沖ノ南岩, Southern Rocks of the Offshore^?) or Da nan xiao dao (大南小島 "Great southern small island")[7]
• Tobise (飛瀬, Stepping-Stones^?) or Fei lai dao (飛瀬島 "Flying Shoal"), highest elevation 2m (6½ ft)[8]

Territorial dispute

The islands are currently administered by Japan as a part of Ishigaki City, Okinawa prefecture. According to both the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China on Taiwan (ROC), the islands are part of Taiwan Province (Daxi Village (大溪里), Toucheng Township, Yilan County, Taiwan Province). Ishigaki Island from space, August 1991 Ishigaki (石垣島 -jima Yaeyama: Shikaitu Okinawan: Ishigachi) is an island west of Okinawa Hontō and the largest island of the Yaeyama Island group. ... “Okinawa” redirects here. ... Motto Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Official languages Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  -  President Chen Shui-bian  -  Vice President Annette Lu  -  Premier Chang Chun-hsiung... Taiwan Province can refer to an existing administrative division under the government of the Republic of China or the claimed 23rd province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Tiucheng (頭城) is an urban township in the northern part of Yilan County, Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. ... Yilan County (Traditional Chinese: 宜蘭縣; Hanyu Pinyin: Yílán Xiàn; Tongyong Pinyin: Yílán Siàn; Wade-Giles: Yi-lan Hsien; POJ: Gî-lân-kōan) is a county in Northeastern Taiwan. ...

Beginning of the dispute

A survey in 1968 found potential oil fields in the East China Sea, drawing attention to the islands. The PRC and ROC governments subsequently pressed their claims of sovereignty over them. The ROC officially claimed the islands for the first time on June 11, 1971, followed by the PRC on December 30th. Japan responded by counter-claiming the islands. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... The East China Sea is a marginal sea and part of the Pacific Ocean. ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ...

Chinese claims

Ming Dynasty claim

China claims that the islands were within the Ming Dynasty's sea-defense area and are a part of Taiwan.^[2] According to the Chinese, the islands were first mentioned in literature in 1372 and were first documented by royal visitors travelling from China to the Ryūkyū Kingdom, located in what is now Japan's Okinawa prefecture. Their documentation states: "When crossing the sea, we could see black ocean current underneath. The guide said, after passing this black current, they will leave the boundary of China. At this stage, we can see a series of islands that cannot be seen on the return trip." For other uses, see Ming. ... The main building of Shuri Castle The flag of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1875-1879) The RyÅ«kyÅ« Kingdom (Ryukyuan: 琉球王国, Traditional Chinese: then officially 琉球國) was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the RyÅ«kyÅ« Islands from the 14th century to the 19th century. ... “Okinawa” redirects here. ...

Qing Dynasty claim

From 1624 until 1662, Taiwan and its surrounding islands were controlled by the Dutch as a base for commerce. In 1662, the Dutch were driven out by ex-Ming Dynasty general Zheng Chenggong (more popularly known as Koxinga). Zheng Chenggong and his successors established the Kingdom of Tungning and controlled the area until 1683. That year, Zheng's grandson Zheng Ke-Shuang was defeated by Qing Dynasty forces led by Admiral Shi Lang. From then on, Qing Dynasty China gained effective control over Taiwan and its surrounding islands, including the islands in dispute today.^[3] Koxinga (Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: Gúoxìngyé; Tongyong Pinyin: Gúosìngyé; Taiwanese; Kok-sèng-iâ/Kok-sìⁿ-iâ) is the popular name of Zheng Chenggong (Traditional Chinese: 鄭成功; Hanyu Pinyin: Zhèng Chénggōng; Tongyong Pinyin: Jhèng Chénggong; Wade-Giles: Cheng Cheng-kung; Pe... The Kingdom of Tungning or Dongning (東寧王國; pinyin: Dōngníng Wángguó ) was the first Han Chinese state to exist on Taiwan, between 1661 and 1683. ... Zheng Keshuang (鄭克塽, 1669–1707 pinyin: Zhèng Kèshuǎng) was the son of Zheng Jing. ... The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun; Mongolian: Манж Чин), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the ruling Chinese Dynasties. ... Shi Lang (Chinese: ; 1621-1696) was a Ming-Qing admiral who had extensive experience in southeastern China. ...

Unequal Treaties

After losing the First Sino-Japanese War, Qing China signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki on 17 April 1895. This "unequal treaty" ceded Taiwan and its surrounding islands to Japan, although without explicitly mentioning the islands in dispute today. The formal position of China is that all the "unequal treaties" are null and void and thus the islands are still part of Taiwan Province of China.^{[citation needed]} Combatants Qing Empire (China) Empire of Japan Commanders Li Hongzhang Yamagata Aritomo Strength 630,000 men Beiyang Army, Beiyang Fleet 240,000 men Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy Casualties 35,000 dead or wounded 13,823 dead, 3,973 wounded The First Sino-Japanese War (Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin... The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun; Mongolian: Манж Чин), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the ruling Chinese Dynasties. ... The Shunpanrō hall where the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed The Treaty of Shimonoseki (Japanese: 下関条約, Shimonoseki Jōyaku), known as the Treaty of Maguan (T. Chinese: 馬關條約, S. Chinese: 马关条约;) in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895 between the Empire of Japan and the Qing Empire. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Unequal Treaties is the name in the English language used by modern China for a series of treaties signed by several Asian states, including the Qing Empire in China, late Tokugawa Japan, and late Joseon Korea, and foreign powers (列強, 열강) during the 19th and early 20th centuries. ... The Unequal Treaties is the name in the English language used by modern China for a series of treaties signed by several Asian states, including the Qing Empire in China, late Tokugawa Japan, and late Joseon Korea, and foreign powers (列強, 열강) during the 19th and early 20th centuries. ...

Tokyo court ruling

China also asserted that in 1944, the Tokyo court ruled that the islands were part of Taihoku Prefecture (Taipei Prefecture), following a dispute between Okinawa Prefecture and Taihoku Prefecture. However, the assertion was solely based on a "claim" by the president of the fishermen's association of Keelung city in 4 August 1971. The primary source of this paragraph can be found in the journal "Modern China Studies", Issue 1, 1997 (in Simplified Chinese).[9]. For other uses, see Taipei (disambiguation). ... Keelung City (Traditional Chinese: 基隆; Hanyu Pinyin: Jīlóng; Tongyong Pinyin: Jilóng; Wade-Giles: Chi-lung; POJ: Ke-lâng) is a provincial city of Taiwan, Republic of China. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Japanese claims

Formal incorporation

Japan claims that after the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government conducted surveys of the islands beginning in 1885 confirming no evidence that the uninhabited islands had been under Chinese control, though this conflicts with the earlier Chinese claim of the islands during the Qing Dynasty. At the time of this survey, Japan did not formally declare a claim to the islands. Instead, it waited until January 14, 1895, during the middle of the First Sino-Japanese War, to do this. Just three months prior to its military victory in the war and the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Japan erected a marker on the islands to formally incorporate them as its territory. This decision was not made public until 1950, however.[10] Four of the islands were subsequently borrowed and developed by the Koga family with the permission of the Japanese government. The Meiji Restoration ), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japans political and social structure. ... The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun; Mongolian: Манж Чин), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the ruling Chinese Dynasties. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Combatants Qing Empire (China) Empire of Japan Commanders Li Hongzhang Yamagata Aritomo Strength 630,000 men Beiyang Army, Beiyang Fleet 240,000 men Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy Casualties 35,000 dead or wounded 13,823 dead, 3,973 wounded The First Sino-Japanese War (Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin... The Shunpanrō hall where the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed The Treaty of Shimonoseki (Japanese: 下関条約, Shimonoseki Jōyaku), known as the Treaty of Maguan (T. Chinese: 馬關條約, S. Chinese: 马关条约;) in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895 between the Empire of Japan and the Qing Empire. ...

History of Ming

Japanese scholars claim that neither China nor Okinawa had recognized sovereignty over the uninhabited islands. Therefore, they claim that Chinese documents only prove that Kumejima, the first inhabited island reached by the Chinese, belonged to Okinawa. Kentaro Serita (芹田健太郎) of Kobe University points out that the official history book of the Ming Dynasty compiled during the Qing Dynasty, called the History of Ming (明史), describes Taiwan in the "Stories of Foreign Countries" (外国列传). Thus, China did not control the Senkaku Islands or Taiwan during the Ming Dynasty.[11] However, the Qing Dynasty gained control of Taiwan and its surrounding islands in 1683, which was 39 years after the fall of the Ming Dynasty. This article is about the prefecture. ... The History of Ming (明史) is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the Twenty-Four Histories of China. ... For other uses, see Ming. ...

Beiyang warlord admission

In a testimonial in 1920, a diplomat from the Chinese Beiyang warlord government admitted that the islands belonged to the Yaeyama District of Okinawa prefecture. Taiwan and its surrounding islands were ceded to Japan in 1895 in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. However, China argues that Taiwan and its surrounding islands were returned to Chinese sovereignty after World War II in 1945. Cairo Communiqué Beiyang was a province of China. ... The Shunpanrō hall where the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed The Treaty of Shimonoseki (Japanese: 下関条約, Shimonoseki Jōyaku), known as the Treaty of Maguan (T. Chinese: 馬關條約, S. Chinese: 马关条约;) in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895 between the Empire of Japan and the Qing Empire. ...

United States occupation

Japan claims that after World War II, the islands came under the United States occupation of Okinawa. During this period, the United States and the Ryūkyū Government administered the islands and the US Navy even used Kuba-jima and Taisho-jima as maneuver areas. In 1972, sovereignty over Okinawa, and arguably the surrounding islands, was handed back to Japan as part of the Treaty of San Francisco. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru gives a speech on reconciliation and rapport ) at the San Francisco Peace conference. ...

Japanese scholars point out that it would not have been difficult for the Republic of China (ROC) to occupy these islands in 1945, because the ROC had already occupied Taiwan and the surrounding islands two months before the US military occupation was extended to the Yaeyama Islands. Thus, they claim that this proves the ROC's lack of willingness to assume authority over the islands. They also point to official Chinese publications that show the islands as part of Okinawa.

Taiwanese scholars reject Japan's claim, stating that the ROC government maintains sovereignty over the islands. They assert that when US forces were stationed on Taiwan during the Cold War, military maneuvers were periodically held which required the use of the islands as an aerial bombing target, and the US military applied each time to the ROC government, instead of to Japanese authorities, for authorization. Motto Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Official languages Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  -  President Chen Shui-bian  -  Vice President Annette Lu  -  Premier Chang Chun-hsiung...

Taiwanese sources also argue that the 1954 ROC-US Mutual Defense Treaty contains wording implying that the ROC controlled the islands. The ROC government and the US later agreed to have US forces patrol the area several miles north of the island of Taiwan. Thus, the ROC had agreed to have US forces patrol the area around the islands.

Recent developments

Protesters displaying the flags of Republic of China and People's Republic of China on the main island on October 7, 1996.

• 1978: The Japan Youth Association set up a lighthouse on the main island.
• July 14, 1996: The Japan Youth Association builds a 5-m high, solar-powered, aluminum lighthouse on another island.
• September 14, 1996: a US State Department spokesman referred to the US's neutral position on the Senkaku Islands issue.
• September 26, 1996: David Chan (陳毓祥), a Hong Kong protester, drowns near the islets, after leaping off one of the protest vessels with several companions with the object of symbolising Chinese claim of sovereignty.
• October 7, 1996: Protesters plant the flags of the ROC and the PRC on the main island, but they were later removed by the Japanese authorities.
• April 09, 1999: US Ambassador to Japan Thomas S. Foley said "we are not, as far as I understand, taking a specific position in the dispute.... we do not assume that there will be any reason to engage the security treaty in any immediate sense."
• April 2002: The Japanese government leased Uotsuri and other islands from the purported private owners.
• March 24, 2004: A group of Chinese activists from the PRC planned to stay on the Islands for three days. The seven people who landed on the islands were arrested by Japanese authorities for illegal entry. The Japanese Foreign Ministry forwarded a complaint to the PRC government, but the PRC in turn demanded the release of the activists. They were then sent to Japan and deported from there. Japan subsequently stated that it would prohibit anybody from landing on the islands without prior permission.
• March 24, 2004: Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman at the US State Department said "The U.S. does not take a position on the question of the ultimate sovereignty of the Senkaku Diaoyu Islands."
• February 2005: Japan planned to take ownership of a privately-owned lighthouse on Uotsuri, after it was offered to them by the owner, a fisherman living on Ishigaki, Okinawa. The lighthouse is expected to be managed by the Japanese Coast Guard.
• February 10, 2005: Voice of America U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton said that Japan's new assertiveness is in line with the desires of many Japanese politicians to take their country beyond its post-World War Two pacifism. "It's a question of the evolution of Japanese thinking on its own. Japan has made it clear they want to resolve all of the territorial disputes by diplomatic means and that's certainly something that we agree with. Our kind of getting in the middle of it is probably not the most productive way to proceed."
• June 2005: The ROC dispatched a ROCN frigate into disputed waters (but did not go as far as the islands) after Taiwanese fishing vessels were harassed by Japanese patrol boats. The frigate, which was carrying Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng and ROC Defense Minister Lee Jye, was not challenged and returned to Taiwan without incident. Fisheries talks between Taipei and Tokyo were held in July, but did not cover sovereignty issues.
• March 17, 2006: Kyodo News reported the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Thomas Schieffer, presented that he considered "the Islands as territory of Japan" in his talk in Tokyo.^[4]
• October 27, 2006: A group of activists from Hong Kong, the Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands, including Tsang Kin Shing and several members of the April Fifth Action, approched the islands in order to show the support for Chinese claims to the Senkakus. They were stopped from landing on the islands by the Japan Coast Guard.^[5] Later on, the PLAN conducted a military exercise in the area.^[6]

Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... National flag. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (281st in leap years). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (281st in leap years). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... National flag. ... Civil and state flag and ensign. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A HDR image of a traditional lighthouse For other uses, see Lighthouse (disambiguation). ... Ishigaki Island from space, August 1991 Ishigaki (石垣島 -jima Yaeyama: Shikaitu Okinawan: Ishigachi) is an island west of Okinawa Hontō and the largest island of the Yaeyama Island group. ... The Japanese Coast Guard or Japan Coast Guard is responsible for protecting the coast lines of Japan. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Voice of America (VOA) is the official international broadcasting service of the Government of the United States. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in June June 27: Shelby Foote June 27: John T. Walton June 26: Richard Whiteley June 25: John Fiedler June 25: Chet Helms June 24: Paul Winchell June 21: Jaime Cardinal Sin June 20: Jack Kilby... The Republic of China Navy (中華民國海軍; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó HÇŽijÅ«n) is the maritime branch of the armed forces of the Republic of China. ... For the bird, see Frigatebird. ... Wang Jin-pyng (Chinese: 王金平, pinyin: Wáng JÄ«npíng) (born March 17, 1941), Taiwanese politician, is the President of the Legislative Yuan. ... Lee Jye (Traditional Chinese: ) is the current defense minister of the Republic of China (Taiwan). ... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Kyodo News (共同通信社 Kyōdō TsÅ«shinsha) is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato-ku, Tokyo. ... John Thomas Tom Schieffer (born October 4, 1947) is the current United States Ambassador to Japan, and served as U.S. Ambassador to Australia from 2001 to 2005. ... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... A table that was set up in Tsim Sha Tsui by the Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands. ... The April Fifth Action (Chinese: 四五行動 Pinyin: Sì-Wǔ xíngdòng), named after the first Tiananmen incident of April 5, 1976 (also known as the April Fifth Movement) is a very small and radical socialist group in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• Sino-Japanese relations
• China Federation for Defending the Diaoyu Islands
• Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands
• History of China
• History of Taiwan
• Okinotorishima

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Foreign relations between Japan and China. ... China Federation for Defending the Diaoyu Islands (Simplified Chinese: 中国民间保卫钓鱼台联合会; Traditional Chinese: 中國民間保衛釣魚台聯合會; Pinyin: Zhong1 Guo2 Min2 Jian1 Bao3 Wei4 Diao4 Yu2 Tai2 Lian2 He2 Hui4) is a non-governmental organisation which maintains that Diaoyu Islands (Simplified Chinese: 钓鱼台群岛; Traditional Chinese: 釣魚台群島; Pinyin: Diàoyútái Qúndǎo) is a part of... A table that was set up in Tsim Sha Tsui by the Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands. ... The history of China is told in traditional historical records that go back to the Three sovereigns and five emperors about 5,000 years ago, supplemented by archaeological records dating to the 16th century BC. China is one of the worlds oldest continuous civilizations. ... The island of Taiwan (excluding the Pescadores) was first populated by Austronesian peoples. ... Okinotorishima Okinotorishima Okinotorishima ) (Traditional Chinese: 沖鳥礁, Simplified Chinese: 冲鸟礁) is an atoll, which in English has multiple designations (Okinotori coral reefs, Okinotori Islands). ...

Footnotes

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kyodo News (共同通信社 Kyōdō Tsūshinsha) is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato-ku, Tokyo. ... The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Nikkei headquarters in Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nikkei offices in Osaka Nihon Keizai Shimbun lit. ...

References

• Suganuma, Unryu. Sovereign rights and territorial space in Sino-Japanese relations: Irredentism and the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Honolulu: Association for Asian Studies and University of Hawai’i Press, 2000.

External links

• Diaoyu Islands-China's Indisputable Territory.Foreign Affairs University
• Basic View on Senkaku (by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Article by Kiyoshi Inoue Professor of History department Kyoto University
• Senkaku @BBC
• Article by globalsecurity.org (with some maps)
• Potsdam Conference by cnn.com
• Law School Article by William Heflin
• Article "China's Diaoyu Islands Sovereignty is Undeniable" at People's Daily Online
• (Download Google Earth placemark for China's Diaoyu islands)
• Diaoyutai History (in Chinese)
• Satellite image of Senkaku Islands - Google Maps

Territorial disputes in East, South, and Southeast Asia
Type	Territory	Currently Administered by	Claimants
Land:	Aksai Chin		2
	Arunachal Pradesh		2
	Assam
	East Turkestan		1 2
	Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriyskiy (Eastern part)2
	Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriyskiy (Western part)2
	Indo-Bangladesh enclaves3
	Kashmir3		2
	Kachin State		1 2
	Kayin State		1
	Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands3
	Mainland China2
	Mongolia2
	Pamir Mountains (Northern and central parts)2
	Pamir Mountains (Southern part)2
	Pattani		1
	Sabah		2
	Shan State		1
	Sixty-Four Villages East of the Heilongjiang River2
	Tannu Uriankhai (now Tuva Republic of Russia)2
	Tibet		1 2
	Trans-Karakoram Tract		2
	Wa State		1
Islands and Waters:	Dokdo		2
	Kinmen
	Macclesfield Bank
	Matsu
	Palmas Islands/Miangas2
	Paracel Islands
	Pedra Branca
	Pratas Islands
	Scarborough Shoal
	Senkaku Islands
	Sir Creek3
	Socotra Rock		2 2
	Southern Kuril Islands
	Spratly Islands3
	Taiwan and Pescadores
Notes:	1Government in exile/exiled group. 2Inactive dispute. 3Divided among multiple claimants.
view • talk • edit