Japanese right-wingers seek political gains landed on Diaoyu Islands; China strongly protests

Japanese right-wingers seek political gains by exploiting Diaoyu Islands issue

A pack of Japanese right-wingers landed on the Chinese-owned Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea on Sunday, in a blatant move that they claimed to "mourn the war dead", but in fact it was a scheme to net political leverage.

More than 150 Japanese right-wing activists participated in the event, including eight members of parliament. After gathering in the surrounding waters in 21 ships, 10 people landed on the island and stayed for over two hours.

Their gross violation of China's sovereignty has raised an uproar in China, with demonstrations flaring up in numerous cities in the country.

"China strongly opposes Japanese rightists landing on the Diaoyu Islands on Sunday, and urges Japan to put an end to its actions that seek to undermine China's territorial sovereignty," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Sunday in a statement.

A quick background-check of the right-wing politicians and organizations that sponsored this provocative bid shows that their target of much-sought prize may not be the islands themselves, but rather political leverage that could put them back in the driver's seat back at home.

Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, who prompted the Japanese government to "nationalize" the Diaoyu Islands with his "island-buying" farce, was notorious for denying the 1937 Nanjing massacre, during which the Japanese aggressor troops killed more than 300,000 Chinese citizens in World War II

Yoshitaka Shindo, another right-wing politician and a member of Japan's House of Representatives, is the grandson of Tadamichi Kuribayashi, a general of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War who was killed in Iwo Jima.

Behind the drape of "mourning the war dead," what these right-wingers are really pursuing is personal political gains, even if it meant exploiting the public's sympathy toward the deceased.

Japanese scholars believe that as the Japanese society is bedeviled by sustained economic downturn and lack of confidence, publications advertizing "the Japan crisis theory" and the "China threat theory" could bring comfort to the public.

Moreover, widespread sorrowful sentiment among the public that Japan has been economically overtaken by China also feeds the right-wingers who advocate getting tough with China.

The narrow-visioned nationalism would only bring destruction to a country, warned Makoto Iokibe, former president of the National Defense Academy of Japan in an article published by the Asahi Shimbun on Sunday.

"Every country is easily emotionalized when it comes to issues of territory. The rightward tendency in Japan has been enhanced recently," he said.

Against this backdrop, if the voices and moves of the right-wingers were unchecked or event expanded, hostility across the East China Sea would increase, further dampening the perspective of closer bilateral ties between Asia's two largest economies and regional stability.

Therefore, "the Japanese government and people should speak in more rational voices and avoid being hijacked by the right-wingers and heading to the extreme," Iokibe said.- Xinhua

Update:
Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday expressed strong displeasure at the Japanese leader's remark on Diaoyu Islands, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei saying that it "sabotages China's territorial sovereignty."

On the same day, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told the press that Japan claimed Diaoyu Islands were part of its territory. The Meiji government integrated them into Japan in 1895 without the signs of rule by the Qing Dynasty of China at that time.

Hong stressed that the Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets "have been the inherent territory of China since ancient times" because they "were first found, named and used by the Chinese."

The earliest historical record of Diaoyu Islands can be dated back to China's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in a book titled "Departure Along the Wind" (published in 1403), in which the names of "Diaoyu Islet" and "Chiwei Islet" were used. The names refer to the nowadays Diaoyu Islands and Chiwei Islet, Hong said.

He went on to say that Hu Zongxian, the Zhejiang governor of Ming Dynasty, marked Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets in China's maritime defense.

"It demonstrated that these islands were at least within China's maritime defense sphere since the Ming Dynasty," Hong said.

Japan claimed its sovereign requirement during the China-Japanese War in 1895 and seized the islands with illegal means. "The saying that Diaoyu Islands were inherent territory of Japan is totally groundless," Hong said.

The Cairo Deceleration issued after the World War II regulated that all territory illegally taken by Japan, including China's northeast, Taiwan and Penghu islets, must be returned to China, according to the spokesman.

In August 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender under the terms of Potsdam Proclamation. "It means Japan must return Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets to China," he said.

On Sept. 18, 1951, then Chinese Premier and Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai made a solemn statement on behalf of the Chinese government that the Treaty of Peace with Japan signed in San Francisco of the United States was illegal and invalid, and it absolutely would not be recognized without the preparation and signing of the People's Republic of China.

In June 1971, Japan and the United States signed a pact to hand over Okinawa to Japan. Diaoyu Islands were mapped in the handover area.

"It is a private trading of the Chinese territory," Hong said.

China's Foreign Ministry announced on Dec. 30 of 1971 that such a move was "totally illegal" and reiterated that Diaoyu Islands and surrounding islets were "an integral part of the Chinese territory", he said.

Related:

China urges Japan to take practical action to improve ties

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday urged Japan to take practical action to improve bilateral relations amid a territorial dispute regarding nearby islands.

A resolution adopted by the Japanese House of Representatives said that as important partners with shared interests, relations between Japan and China should be deepened so as to promote regional and international peace, stability and prosperity.  Full story

China urges Japan to stop territorial sovereignty violations

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday urged Japan to refrain from any action that might violate China's territorial sovereignty and use dialogues and negotation to solve an ongoing dispute over the Diaoyu Islands.

"The Japanese side should maintain Sino-Japanese relations through concrete action," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, when talking about the recent illegal detainment and release of 14 Chinese nationals by Japan.  Full story

 • The Japanese coast guard confirmed that at least nine Japanese activists landed on Diaoyu Islands.

    • They arrived at the waters near the Diaoyu Islands with a group of 150 Japanese activists.

 • The group plans to hold a ceremony for people died in the war in 1945.

TOKYO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese Maritime Safety Agency confirmed that 10 Japanese activists landed on the Diaoyu Islands Sunday, local media reported.

VIDEO: CHINA PROTESTS JAPANESE VISIT TO DIAOYU ISLAND CCTV News - CNTV English

The Japanese coast guard's patrol vessels found 10 people swam to the Diaoyu Islands from their fleet at around 7:30 Sunday, and called them to leave as soon as possible after their landing.

The 10 people, no parliamentarians, remained at the island for about two hours and unfurled several Japanese flags. All of them left the island and swam back to their boats before 10:00.

A fleet of around 150 Japanese activists and 21 vessels departed from the Ishigaki city Saturday and arrived at the waters near the Diaoyu Islands early Sunday morning. The Japanese government had rejected their landing application earlier this month.

The group also plans to hold a ceremony for people who died in World War II and investigate fishery conditions in the waters near the Diaoyu Islands to declare the islands are Japanese territory.

China on Saturday lodged solemn representations with Japan as the group comprising some Japanese lawmakers and members of right- wing groups plan to go to the Diaoyu Islands waters to hold activities. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said that China has urged the Japanese side to immediately stop the action that seeks to undermine China's territorial sovereignty.

Thousands of people in a number of Chinese cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Hangzhou, Harbin and Qingdao, took to the street on Sunday morning to voice their opposition to the Japanese activists' landing on the Diaoyu Islands.

The act of the Japanese activists came after 14 Chinese activists arrived at the Diaoyu Islands by a Hong Kong fishing vessel to assert China's territorial claim to the islands last Wednesday. They were illegally arrested shortly after and were released last Friday.



Related:

China lodges solemn representations with Japan on Diaoyu Islands
BEIJING, August 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday lodged solemn representations with Japan as some Japanese lawmakers and members of right-wing groups plan to go to the Diaoyu Islands waters to hold activities. Full story

China urges Japan to stop territorial sovereignty violations

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday urged Japan to refrain from any action that might violate China's territorial sovereignty and use dialogues and negotation to solve an ongoing dispute over the Diaoyu Islands.

"The Japanese side should maintain Sino-Japanese relations through concrete action," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, when talking about the recent illegal detainment and release of 14 Chinese nationals by Japan.  Full story

China holds "firm stance" over Diaoyu Islands
 
BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China holds a "firm stance" over the Diaoyu Islands, and any of Japan's unilateral moves against Chinese nationals is illegal and invalid, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

As Japan decided to release 14 Chinese nationals it was detaining, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said: "China holds a clear and firm stance on the issue of Diaoyu Islands." Full story

China strongly protests against Japanese rightists' landing on Diaoyu Islands

People in a number of Chinese cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Hangzhou and Harbin, took to the street Sunday morning to voice their opposition to Japanese right wing activists' landing on the Diaoyu Islands. [Sina Weibo]

People in a number of Chinese cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Hangzhou, Harbin and Qingdao, took to the street Sunday morning to voice their opposition to Japanese ring wing activists' landing on China's Diaoyu Islands.

Around 8:50 a.m., over 100 protestors gathered near the Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, holding Chinese national flags and banners reading, "Defend China's territory over the Diaoyu Islands."

They also shouted, "Japan, get out of the Diaoyu Islands!"

From 9:40 a.m., protestors marched on major roads in Guangzhou, as police maintained order.

The protestors returned to the Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou around 10:30 a.m., and some Guangzhou residents staged a sit-in at the gate of the compound.

In downtown Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, protestors gathered at SEG Plaza around 9:00 a.m., holding Chinese national flags and shouting about defending China's territory.

From 10:30 a.m., protestors marched on major roads in the city's downtown area.

As of 11:00 a.m., about 1,000 protestors had assembled in Shenzhen.

In Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, hundreds of residents gathered at Dragon Tower Square, a city landmark.

The protestors organized online, and some local residents arrived at the scene to support the protestors by offering them Chinese national flags and drinking water, according to the protestors.

The protestors were led along the city's major roads by two cars flying Chinese national flags. Police maintained order and directed traffic, as the group gained more protestors throughout the march.

In the capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, about 100 protestors gathered at a square near the Shenyang municipal government building and marched to the Consulate-General of Japan in Shenyang.

Some of the protestors wore red dresses bearing the Chinese characters for "China" and held loudspeakers. Police were on hand to maintain order.

The Japan Coast Guard confirmed that nine Japanese activists landed on the Diaoyu Islands early Sunday morning, Japanese media reported.

 Related posts:
 
China demands Japan release activists over landing their own territory Diaoyu Islands   
 
China, S.Korea demand Japan own up to its wars criminal past

Japan, the deputy sheriff in Asia?