politics

Japan plans to register 280 remote islands as national assets

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“We believe that Japan’s actions in marine areas should follow international law, and should not harm the interests of other countries or the international community,” Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing on Thursday.

Are these people for real?

10 ( +14 / -4 )

PM Abe had better get started before the Commies start claiming ownership via "historical precedents".

9 ( +19 / -10 )

@globallc

Those are islands that are within Japan's territorial waters. They are not claiming some islands off of the Philippines as Japan's.

9 ( +17 / -9 )

@gaijintraveller

"In Japanese territorial waters according to whom? "

Coastal waters within 12 nautical miles from the land belong to the country. This is a rule applied to any country, not just Japan. Read United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea if you don't believe me.

8 ( +15 / -7 )

When does the Chinese government fabricate - oops, I mean "discover in their historical archives, which we should mention stretch back 4000 years" - maps that show clear Chinese ownership of these islands?

Of course it is coming. Doesn't matter if it makes sense. To the PRC, China is always right.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Now lets wait for China to manufa... err discover historical "evidence" that all those 280 islands belong to China.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Japan is set to clarify the ownership of 280 remote islands in its territorial waters and register them as national assets, a move that could rile China and South Korea

Why should they? Is the reporter serious about it?

pointofviewJan. 10, 2014 - 09:22AM JST

What took them so long?

Some private person may claim ownership title of the island. If a private person claims ownership, the government has to go through a lengthy and cost consuming law suit to find the true owner of the island. In most of such cases, they must go through the records during Edo period and earlier. If no private person owns the island, the island belongs to the government. By registering, the government can prevent such legal battle.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

@Strangerland & Octagon

"12 nautical mile line is not going to be it and dry."

It doesn't matter if you agree with it or not. Japan didn't make up the rule, the UN did. It's a rule applied to any country in the world. You don't like it ? Well, you should take it up to the next UN meeting

6 ( +7 / -1 )

“We believe that Japan’s actions in marine areas should follow international law, and should not harm the interests of other countries or the international community,”

Just like China's new ADIZ? Hypocrites. Japan has the right to register islands within its territorial waters as national assets, so China and South Korea can STFU about it. There is literally no ground on which to make a complaint. Full steam ahead Japan. Register those islands, before China lays claim to them and extends their ADIZ over them.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

What took them so long?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

go for it!

3 ( +6 / -3 )

OctagonJan. 10, 2014 - 12:58PM JST

Territory and ownership are 2 different things. Japanese government is registering ownership title of its islands/ islets in its territory. Registering ownership title does not expand territory.

There are quite some unregistered lands in Japan. For example, public parks and roads used from ancient times are not usually registered. Unregistered land belongs to the government unless someone shows his claim of the land.

It seems China likes to confuse territory and ownership to stir hate against Japan.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

In Japanese territorial waters according to whom? The same people who say the Senkakus are Japanese, no doubt

I think you'll find they were annexed by Japan in 1895. claimed by the US from '45 to '71 and then returned to Japan.

China and Taiwan began to dispute the islands in '72... after a deadline had expired that would have allowed them to officially challenge the ownership of the islands under international law.

China (or anyone else) may dispute the islands and associated territory, legally through a court of international law.

Funny that they haven't done that, don't you think?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Japan is set to clarify the ownership of 280 remote islands in its territorial waters and register them as national assets, a move that could rile China and South Korea, which are engaged in territorial disputes with Tokyo.

This is just a mischief-making opening paragraph. As far as I know, these islands are not in disputed territory so there should be no issue. However, in news elsewhere China has unilaterally redrawn borders that cover disputed areas concerning the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia and recently announced that they have the right to board fishing vessels and seize them if necessary. China has said that all fishing vessels must apply for permission to enter these waters. If you look at the redrawn map in the link you will see it is a significant redrawing of borders.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25666849

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Is China effing insane? That new claim basically blocks several countries from fishing in their own waters. What a bunch of thieves.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Just wait till volcanic activity starts spitting up islands in contested areas - the Chinese will try and claim them. How do you determine ownership of 'new' islands anyway?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I am waiting for the auction where they sell these off. i fancy a remote little rock somewhere of SE shikoku or Honshu

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@rsgz4gg7y2

"How is it going to help anything?"

It helps in case your country China claims in the future that these tiny islands or rocks belong to China historically.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Because "Mine, yours" always works with my 4 and 7 year-olds.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

If they are in Japanese territorial waters then surely they are Japanese anyway?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Can Japan just do it without any kind of announcement ? Its to avoid any misunderstanding for provocation. These islands belong to Japan already anyway.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

No coral or algae out there is safe.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

Why should it 'rile' China or SK? These islands are in Japanese waters.

“We believe that Japan’s actions in marine areas should follow international law, and should not harm the interests of other countries or the international community,” Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing on Thursday.

Hah! This is rich coming from China. So are the Philippines, Vietnam etc not countries in the eyes of China?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"remote islands with no apparent owner"

I hereby claim all these remote islands with no apparent owner. Problem solved!

I will then sell these islands to the highest bidder and donate all proceeds to the Red Cross.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Something is evidently missing here. Where is loud-mouth America that shows concerns whenever China does anything and yet keep dumb allowing Japan to do whatever it wants without calling such actions as increasing tensions in the region. If Japan is smart ( not Shinzo Abe. He has his own agenda ) it should not allow the double-headed snake and global hypocrite America to use it as a pawn against a rising China with Japan's economy and people's livelihood at risk.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Of course with China's recent expansionist moves, Abe knows if Japan does not register these islands, it will be just a short matter of time , China will!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Now days every piece of rock sticking out of water is very important.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Coastal waters within 12 nautical miles from the land belong to the country. This is a rule applied to any country, not just Japan. Read United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea if you don't believe me.

That's easy enough when the country is question is a continental country, but when the country is an island country like Japan, then each island claimed adds more nautical miles so the 12 nautical mile line is not going to be it and dry.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Here we go!!!

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Keep pushing the line Abe... just going to feed into China's anger and they are doing a pretty good with the media compared to Japan.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Neglecting all the details, it'll be clear that what Japanese leaders have done or what they are going to do is to make people forget the history and hope no people in the world know that history, and even ready for another sudden attack on every country as they want. That has been their tradition. Is that possible?

Yes, as time passes, some memories fade, but not all of them. Some memories will be more and more clear when stimulated.

Moreover, the situation has changed.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Way to go. Just keep cranking it up one step at a time. And when China or SK do something similar express outrage and put the military on notice. Then little by little move closer to outbreaks of repressing aggression over sovereign territory. And before long you can have a full out territorial war on your hands which I think is the desired outcome for the nationalists. Nationalists of course, who will conduct the conflict from the safety of their offices.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

More escalations. How is it going to help anything? One would think Xi's rise to power was bad China, but it looks like Abe's rise to power is even worse for Japan. The next 9 years are going to be bad times.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

That's easy enough when the country is question is a continental country, but when the country is an island country like Japan, then each island claimed adds more nautical miles so the 12 nautical mile line is not going to be it and dry.

I agree with Stranger.

EEZ is expandable like ADIZ. If the Japan EEZ is getting larger, 12 nautical mile line will be added from the registered newest island of Japan. The more newer Island Japan clarify, the more 12 nautical miles will be added from the farthest Island of Japan. Not from mainland of Japan.

Farther from Japan means closer to neighbors shore like Senkaku. When Japan annexed Okinawa, started from smaller and closer ones. the largest one was last. Back then Japanese ship were so slow too.

It is aggressive land grabbing strategy and it will promote the regional tension.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

CH3CHO3

If you read the article again, Japan is registering newer remote Islands not near the mainland. Not the old existing Islands. The farthest island from Japan mainland lis very close to Taiwan, Hainan of PRC and Philippines north coast. I agree with Octagon and Stranger for Japan hidden agenda for stealing or grabbing more lands.

On the contrary with Japan, Island nation UK is going to free Scotland if Scottish want to separate from UK.

Remote means far and far away from Mainland Japan. Okinawa was shining example of Japan expandable theory. if there was a land title office back in 1895, Okinawa main island was not registered as Japanese assets.

Japan should register as Krill as Northern Territory instead of expanding in South and West Japan Sea only. There will be no more Island left on that sea if there is no apparent owner according Article. However north will be harder for Japan claiming as national remote assets.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

"He said the location of the islands remained unclear until the survey was completed, but they were all within Japanese territorial waters and the boundaries of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) would not change."

In Japanese territorial waters according to whom? The same people who say the Senkakus are Japanese, no doubt. I expect this to lead to more disputes.

I also wonder how many are real islands and how many are just rocks that they plan to plant concrete and stainless steel on.

-11 ( +6 / -17 )

Since the plan kicked off, Japan has nationalised some 99 remote islands with no apparent owner. That figure is separate from the 280 islands featuring in the current survey

280 Islands will be very little for Japan. Japan should extend more EEZ like ADIZ back in 2010. Later on Japan can claim almost all islands with no apparent owner as Japanese assets.

East China Sea and South China Sea should be changed the name as East Japan Sea and South Japan Sea. Japan can claim almost all rocks under Sea as Japanese assets because those remote rocks have no apparent owner.

-12 ( +3 / -15 )

LOL. Abe must be thinking it has the world under his arm.

Japan can claim whatever, so as Korea, China and countries in the world.

-16 ( +7 / -23 )

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