August 2012

Japan Center for International Exchange

Politicizing the Senkaku Islands:
A Danger to Regional Stability
Hitoshi Tanaka, Senior Fellow, JCIE

Tensions surrounding the Senkaku Islands haveflared up again. In a speech in Washington DC in April
2012, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara declared his
intent to use Tokyo Metropolitan Government funds
to purchase three islands of the five-island chain
from the private citizen who owns them in order toprotect them from China. Predictably, his statements
invoked protests from China and Taiwan, which also
claim sovereignty over the islands. Subsequently,
donors in Japan contributed more than ¥1.3 billion(us$16 million) to a fund for Tokyo to purchase theislands, essentially forcing the central government’s
hand and pushing it to take control of the situation.
In July, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attempted to do just that by declaring that the Japanese
central government itself will purchase the Senkaku
Islands. In doing so, Noda stated that the purpose of
the nationalization of the islands would be to maintain them in a stable and peaceful manner. Not surprisingly, Noda’s statement also drew criticism fromChina and Taiwan.

While tensions seemed to have died down after thelast episode of Senkaku-related troubles in late 2010,
antagonistic nationalism in Japan and China has continued to simmer in the background. And now the issue has been reopened. Beyond the sovereignty of theSenkaku Islands themselves, this nationalistic politicking has potentially broad ramifications for the US-Japan
alliance, Japan-China relations, China’s overall engagement with the region, and the response of other Asian
countries to China’s rise. The issue clearly requires careful management in order to maintain a stable regional
security environment.

The Senkakus as a US-Japan Alliance Issue
The defense of the Senkaku Islands is a critical issue
for the US-Japan alliance. Irrespective of the historicaland legal intricacies, there is no doubt that the Senkaku
Islands are covered under the US-Japan Security Treaty.
After World War II, the United States took control ofOkinawa, which included the Senkaku Islands. Since
then, the US military has even used one of the islands

as a shooting range. Moreover, the Senkaku Islands
were clearly mapped out and included as one of the USadministered territories that were returned to Japan aspart of the reversion of Okinawa in 1972.
As tensions rise and the issue of the Senkaku Islands
is further politicized, the strength of the US-Japan alliance will be put to the test. While US statements reconfirming that the Senkaku Islands are covered by
the US-Japan Security Treaty—most recently by US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2010—have been
warmly welcomed by Tokyo, it will be important that
the United States maintain a clear stance on the issue
going forward.
As per the US-Japan Security Treaty, the UnitedStates is committed to defending Japan. In return forthis security guarantee, Japan provides military bases
in its territory for the United States, not just for thedefense of Japan but also for the maintenance of international peace in the Far East. This arrangement has
been of mutual benefit to both sides, keeping Japansecure while also being indispensable to the US forward deployment strategy. Any failure or perceived
weakness in the US commitment to defend Japan,
including the Senkaku Islands, would undermine theUS-Japan Security Treaty and the very foundation ofthe alliance.

espoused by Deng Xiaoping—which had been China’s
de facto policy prior to 2010—of shelving the issue forfuture generations.
This change in China’s posture must be recognizedin the context of China’s rise. As China continues its
rapid economic growth and increases its military capabilities, it is growing more self-confident on the global
stage. There have been debates in China about how it
should best utilize its newly realized power. In addition
to China’s change in posture on the Senkaku Islands,a broader shift in Chinese behavior is also evident in
its increasingly assertive posture toward freedom ofnavigation issues and territorial disputes in the South
China Sea.
The manner in which the United States and Japan
respond to China’s increasingly assertive posture regarding the Senkakus can be seen as a litmus test for
the US pivot to Asia and will have spillover effects as
the region grapples with the rise of China, the South
China Sea territorial disputes between China andASEAN countries, and freedom of navigation issues.
Therefore, US and Japanese government consultations must take up adequate preparations to counterincreasing Chinese assertiveness. Consultations with
ASEAN and discussions on how US-Japan alliancepolicy toward the Senkakus will affect ASEAN countries’ disputes with China and the region as a wholeshould also take place. At the same time, it is important to keep effective channels of communication
open with China, stress the importance of diplomatic
resolutions, encourage engagement with China, andbring China into the fold as a constructive regional
stakeholder. For this reason, US-Japan consultations
should also include the much broader subject of how
we can best work together to enhance military confidence with China.

A Rising China’s Changing Posture
Since 2010, there has been a change in China’s foreign
policy approach to the Senkaku Islands. In Septemberof that year, China responded harshly to Japan’s arrestof a Chinese fishing boat captain who rammed his boat
into two Japan Coast Guard ships off the coast of theSenkaku Islands. The Chinese government unnecessarily upped the ante with a unilateral response that
included arresting four Japanese employees of Fujita
Corporation who were based in China on charges thatthey had photographed military facilities, cancelinglarge-scale tourist trips between China and Japan, andsuspending rare earth exports to Japan. Moreover, some
Chinese officials have stated that protecting China’s
territory is a core interest, implying a willingness to use
military force in the dispute over the Senkaku Islands.
This represents a grave departure from the approach
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Defusing Antagonistic Nationalism
In Japan, public opinion polls indicate that nearly
70 percent of the population is in favor of Ishihara’s
proposal for the Tokyo government to buy theSenkaku Islands. However, this support may bebased on a simplistic understanding of the issues
at stake. Respondents have even cited farfetched
2August 2012

concerns that the private landowners could sell theislands to China.
Japan already has effective control of the Senkaku
Islands, which have been on lease to the central government for the past 10 years. The plan to nationalize
the islands, instead of their purchase by the Tokyo government, is consistent with Japan’s traditional policy ofmaintaining control of the Senkakus in a quiet, low-key
manner. Given the sensitivities involved, it is necessary
for the Japanese government to take direct control of

the islands, rather than letting the Tokyo government
or private citizens do so. At the same time, in orderto minimize nationalistic confrontation, the Japanesegovernment must go further in making a full explanation of its intentions regarding Senkaku policy.
Hitoshi Tanaka is a senior fellow at JCIE and chairmanof the Institute for International Strategy at the Japan
Research Institute. He previously served as Japan’s deputy minister for foreign affairs.

East Asia Insights
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August 2012