642 Japanese citizens call disputed isles their ‘home’

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Ida Torres in National with 2 Comments
642 Japanese citizens call disputed isles their ‘home’

Even if they actually live elsewhere, at least 642 Japanese nationals have registered their legal addresses in some of the isles that are currently being disputed between Japan and neighbouring countries like China, Russia and South Korea. The number is up from the 520 surveyed last January 2011 by Kyodo News.

Japanese citizens can register as their legal residence any place that Japan has claimed, given that the place has a land number allocated by domestic authorities. The increasing number of residents that are doing this even if they don’t actually live there seems to be a reflection of the heightened tensions between Japan and the respective countries on the sovereignty over these isles.

According to the municipality of Nemuro, 196 (up from 175 in 2011) registered as their official home the four islands off Hokkaido — Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islets – which are administered by Russia. Meanwhile, 102 registered the Takeshima Islands as their address up from 69 in 2011. The islets are controlled by South Korea and is known there as Dokdo Islands. After then-South Korean President Lee Myung Bak visited the islets (the first president to do so), inquiries about transferring their official domiciles to Takeshima increased to about 20 a week. Sixty-three Japanese residents registered the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as their address. The islands, called Diaoyu by the Chinese, are currently under Japanese control but is being claimed by China, resulting in strained relations between the two countries. Another 281 citizens changed their official address to Okinotori, which is considered by China to be a group of rocks rather than an island.

[ via Kyodo News ]
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  • http://www.facebook.com/jamesobh James Ong

    It seems that the only way out of the dispute over Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands is a war.

    As i see it, China has a stronger claim over Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, based on historical and legal grounds. According to Meiji era documents unearthed by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times, in 1885, Japan acknowledged China as the owner. And the claim by Japan that the islands were “terra nullius” is just a handy legal excuse used by the Japan to cover the aggressive nature of its plunder of Chinese territory. It seems pretty clear from the documents that Japan effectively stole the islands as spoils of war in 1895.

    And, China’s claim is further legitimised by two WW2 treaties, whereby the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclaimation says particularly that the territories of China which were occupied by Japan before WW2 must return to China.

    Though the world had gone through two world wars, US and Japan are still eager to provoke China to a war, and possibly to another world war. Abe has in mind to bring to fruition, a
    “democratic diamond security,” which is basically an anti-China military alliance. His warmongering attitude is further strengthened with his attempts to influence and lure ASEAN nations to his side in the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands’ dispute with China.

    • chinditone

      James – nice post with the correct facts – as per http://wiki.china.org.cn/wiki/index.php/Diaoyu_Island

      The Chinese are patient and shrewd. The Chinese are prepared to wait and fight the battle on their terms whereas the US is not. The Japanese don’t know what they are doing and are changing their position every few moments – the typical behaviour of a drunk come gambler!!

      Essentially – war is dependent on the US – and the US is not going to sacrifice its economic relationship with China for some stolen rocks. If China was a miliatry threat – then maybe yes – but its not.

      As for China – they have already started asserting their ownership of the islands with their regaular weekly patrols and this will increase until the Chinese have de facto control of the islands. The Japanese can only try to stop this militarily – but China is ready for that to respond.

      Japan’s only hope over the Diaoyou is to apologise for taking unilateral action and trying to buy the Chinese islands and come to the negotiating table and negotiate a deal with China. Until the Japanese do so – the Chinese will continue to humiliate Japan and needle the US – and the Chinese are masters at this type of phoney warfare – having invented it and writen teh manual on it!! Japan and the US have gotten themselves into a big mess – through an overly aggressive pivot to Asia – that Abe and Japan have misread. The US are now trying to extracate themslves from Hillary Clinton’s mess – just like Hillary Clinton’s supporters had to bail her out financially after her presidential campaign. Hillary and her crazy ambition and low knowhow makes expensive mistakes!! http://www.dispatchjapan.com/blog/kurt-campbell/