Disputes Between China And Japan

Disputes between China and Japan

Introduction

We are facing a book that includes a series of essays on the territorial dispute between Japan and China due to the islands of Diaoyu / Senkaku. To do this, the editors of the book have collected the works of several experts in the subject to give a multidisciplinary approach having different perspectives in order to understand the complexity of the dispute and find a peaceful solution for the problem. The essays exposed in the book do not have a plot that one, however, are divided into three parts according to the main theme that is covered in the works, the first part includes historical considerations.

Developing

The second covers legal considerations and, finally, in relation to political / social considerations. The dispute exposed in the book covers the archipelago called Diaoyu Dao by China, and Senkaku by Japan. Occupied by Japan in 1895 after being declared Terra Nullius by Tokyo, Beijing argued that these islands were actually part of the reward of the War Yes No-Japanese that also ended in 1895, therefore, they should have been returned to ChinaAs part of the agreements signed at the end of World War II. However, these islands are still theoretically administered by Japan through the city of Ishigaki, in Okinawa prefecture. 

At present there is still tension in the waters around the islands with ships of the Coast Guard on both sides, as well as airplanes. Through the book we realize the variety of conclusions and positions that the authors have on this dispute, this gives the book different approaches to this problem, in the case of Gavan McCormark, Australian historian, professor at the Australia National University and author ofWorks such as Chang Tso-Lin in Northeast China, this problem not only has an aspect of territorial dispute, we must also take into account the historical trajectory.

In this regard, McCormack positions himself in favor of China, arguing his historical roots such as his colonial route, wars and moral certainty, the author charges against Japan’s position not to recognize this dispute as well as his lack of initiative to haveNegotiations with China, however, an agreement where the resources of the islands are shared and where the administration and organization of them is shared is a viable solution to resolve this dispute. The charm of the book is that readers can compare the different arguments and views of experts in the subject and understand that it is such a complex dispute.

The positions of experts for or against the claim of the sovereignty of Japan and China on these islands are very diverse, a clear example of this is Ryan M. Scoville argues in favor of Japan’s sovereignty claims from a legal perspective, where he states that the purchasing prescription has the same or more weight as the argument of previous occupation by China this difference between McCormack and Scoville shows the disagreements we can observeThroughout the book. It is soon concluded that for the relationship between China and Japan to improve the territorial dispute it has to end.

Paul Midford, a political scientist and Japanese security policy specialist and East Asia’s international policy shows us that two solutions are urgently needed, the first, a short -term solution where the two countries have to put aside their competition to demonstrate their controlIn the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, this includes its projects trying to discredit or give more value to their arguments that both countries have on their website, is what we call “collective memory”, the second solution has to be a long term, and it depends exclusively on commitments that Japan and China should establish and establish a more flexible concept of sovereignty.

conclusion

The volume edited by Liao, Hara and Weigand does an excellent job explaining the territorial dispute in the context of a historical rivalry and hostility between China and Japan, while including such important issues as the role of Taiwan and Okinawa, as well as influencefrom the United States, this in order to recognize and expose the complexity of the matter. The book offers important information about the past of this region to understand the current problem and show us the possible outcomes and solutions they can have in the future, in my opinion it is a great book for people interested in international conflict studies.