Islands claims set to raise tensions
Print Edition
Japan is set to clarify ownership of 280 remote islands and register them as “national assets,” a move that could rile China and South Korea, which are engaged in territorial disputes with Tokyo.
Japan’s move to survey the islands and claim those with no apparent owners was announced this week and continues a plan first begun five years ago, an official at the country’s Oceanic Policy and Territorial Issues secretariat said.
“Basically the idea is to register these islands as national assets,” said the official, who declined to be identified.
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 would not change.
Since the plan kicked off, Japan has “nationalized” about 100 remote islands with no apparent owner. That figure is separate from the 280 islands in the current survey.
Ties between Japan and China have been strained due to a simmering row over the uninhabited Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, while Japan and South Korea are locked in a territorial row over a different set of islands.
China is keeping a close watch on the situation, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said yesterday.
“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.
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