copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Scarborough Shoal is a territory of People's Republic of China (Scarborough Shoal, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-27): "China is on the verge of willfully triggering a humanitarian crisis by blocking the resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre. Its actions will eventually starve Filipino sailors on the vessel. China’s main purpose, of course, is to force the Philippines to abandon Second Thomas Shoal and take de facto control of this territorial feature," the senators wrote. "Doing so would expand further its unlawful maritime claims – just as Beijing did with Scarborough Shoal over a decade ago. Each new claim of maritime sovereignty gives China another platform to hold allied territory (and U.S. military assets) at greater risk." [...] We write to express our grave concern regarding the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) hostile and unlawful actions in the South China Sea, particularly against the Philippines, and to request your administration move quickly to support the Philippines in countering China’s aggressive behavior. [...] China is on the verge of willfully triggering a humanitarian crisis by blocking the resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre. Its actions will eventually starve Filipino sailors on the vessel. China’s main purpose, of course, is to force the Philippines to abandon Second Thomas Shoal and take de facto control of this territorial feature. Doing so would expand further its unlawful maritime claims – just as Beijing did with Scarborough Shoal over a decade ago. Each new claim of maritime sovereignty gives China another platform to hold allied territory (and U.S. military assets) at greater risk.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-01): The islands are the focus of a territorial dispute between Japan and China and between Japan and Taiwan.[9] China claims the discovery and ownership of the islands from the 14th century, while Japan maintained ownership of the islands from 1895 until its surrender at the end of World War II. The United States administered the islands as part of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands from 1945 until 1972, when the islands returned to Japanese control under the Okinawa Reversion Agreement between the United States and Japan.[10] The discovery of potential undersea oil reserves in 1968 in the area was a catalyst for further interest in the disputed islands.[11][12][13][14][15] Despite the diplomatic stalemate between China and Taiwan, both governments agree that the islands are part of Taiwan as part of Toucheng Township in Yilan County. Japan administers and controls the Senkaku islands as part of the city of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. It does not acknowledge the claims of China nor Taiwan, but it has not allowed the Ishigaki administration to develop the islands. [...] The stance given by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that the Senkaku Islands are clearly an inherent territory of Japan, in light of historical facts and based upon international law, and the Senkaku Islands are under the valid control of Japan. They also state "there exists no issue of territorial sovereignty to be resolved concerning the Senkaku Islands."[108][109] The following points are given:
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-01-01): Stories about the Senkaku Islands often state casually that Japan "seized them" from China as a result of the Sino-Japanese War. Is this true? Japanese fishermen and merchants had already grown active in and around the Senkakus for some years by 1893 when some of them drifted ashore in China (then under the rule of the Qing Dynasty) and were questioned by the authorities there. Despite such an increase in activities by Japanese citizens on the Senkaku Islands, there is no record whatsoever of China having asserted sovereignty over these islands during that time, including in the aforementioned case. Against this backdrop, Japan incorporated the Senkakus into Okinawa Prefecture with a Cabinet decision in January 1895. In no sense did Japan "seize" them, much less "steal" the islands from China. In this light, it is only natural that these islands did not come up for discussion in the April 1895 peace treaty negotiations at the end of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95. In the first place, a report on Japan submitted to the Qing government by one of its experts in 1889, titled You li Riben tu jing (Maps, Figures and Depiction of Japan based on field research), explicitly listed the Senkakus as Japanese territory. The preface to the report was written by none other than Premier Li Hongzhang, a powerful statesman who soon after represented China in the April 1895 peace talks. It is thus simply inconceivable that the Qing government considered the Senkakus to have been "seized" from it.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-09-08): September 11 will mark the 10th anniversary of the Japanese government purchase of the Senkaku Islands (specifically, Uotsuri Island, Minamikojima Island and Kitakojima Island) from their previous owners. [...] Japan responds to the entry of CCG vessels into the territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands by demanding that CCG vessels – which claim that they are engaged in law enforcement activity in accordance with Chinese domestic laws and regulations – to withdraw on the basis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [...] Japan and China disagree on the territorial sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands (known in China as the Diaoyu Islands), with differences that are not easy to reconcile. The Japanese government does not recognize the existence of any international dispute over the territorial sovereignty of the islands. It is important that Japan manages the different opinions of Japan and China by gradually attenuating the confrontations in the surrounding waters through diplomatic means, while simultaneously ensuring that confrontations do not escalate into clashes.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-01-01): The Senkaku Islands became a Japanese territory on January 14, 1895 (28thYear of Meiji) by a decision of the country's cabinet that day. Before that, the islands had been terra nullius (no man's land). Through the cabinet decision, the islands came under the valid control of Japan, except for a period following Japan's defeat in the Pacific War when the islands were put under the military administration of the United States. [...] Of these four points, the third item contains an obvious factual error. While China claims that "In accordance with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands were ceded to Japan," it is a historical fact that the Senkaku Islands became a Japanese territory through a cabinet decision on January 14, 1895. The Japanese act came prior to the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which took place on April 17 of the same year. In other words, the Treaty of Shimonoseki had nothing to do with the incorporation of the Senkaku Islands into Japan. This shows that what the Chinese claim to be historical facts are erroneous.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-09-15): In an exclusive interview with CNN, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, are unquestionably Japanese territory and would be defended as such, with Tokyo matching any Chinese threat to the islands ship for ship, and beyond if necessary. [...] "Against Chinese action to Senkaku Islands and other parts of the East China Sea … we have to demonstrate that the government of Japan is resolutely defending our territory with the greater number of Japanese coast guard vessels than that of China," Kishi said. "There is no territorial dispute relating to the Senkaku Islands between Japan and other countries," he added. [...] "The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are an inherent part of China’s territory, and it is our inherent right to carry out patrols and law enforcement activities in these waters," China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement last year.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-03): There is no doubt that the Senkaku Islands are clearly an inherent part of the territory of Japan, in light of historical facts and based upon international law. Indeed, the Senkaku Islands are under the valid control of Japan. [...] From the time of the investigation conducted by Okinawa Prefecture, until the incorporation of the Senkaku Islands into Japan’s territory (1885 to 1895) [...] (1) Cabinet decision on incorporation of the Senaku Islands into Japanese territory (2) Valid control of the Senkaku Islands (3) Survey of the Senkaku Islands (4) Development of the Senkaku Islands
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-05-16): The Chinese craft intrusions in the territorial waters and airspace of Japan’s Senkaku Islands put Tokyo in a quandary. The question marks over the reliability of Washington’s support for U.S. Asian allies further complicates the Japanese position. [...] China, Taiwan and Japan claim these islands as their territory. Japan calls the uninhabited rocks the Senkaku Islands, the Chinese – the Diaoyu Islands. Japan controls the islands, but China’s craft are intruding into their territorial waters and airspace with increasing frequency. [...] The Senkaku (in Chinese, Diaoyu) Islands are contested between Japan, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan). Historically, China has a strong claim.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-04): Moreover, the Republic of China's Consul in Nagasaki Prefecture wrote as follows in his letter expressing gratitude addressed to the Japanese fishermen who saved a group of shipwrecked Chinese fishermen in May 1920: "the Senkaku Islands, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa Prefecture, the Empire of Japan." On January 8, 1953 the Chinese State newspaper People’s Daily wrote clearly that "the Senkaku Islands were included in the Ryukyu Islands." These facts clearly indicate China's admission that the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan. China's assertion of title to the Senkaku Islands not only lacks grounds in international law, but also is precluded by the principle of estoppel. [...] - Archives Shows China’s Claims on Historical Claims? China Wasn’t Interested in Senkakus Before Discovery of Possible Oil Deposits - Japan’s Islands: Vintage Maps from Britain, Germany Refute China’s Claim to the Senkakus - U.S. Air Force Charts Confirm Takeshima is Japanese Territory - Post-war Remembrance: Russia Stole Japan’s Northern Territories 75 Years Ago
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-02): The Senkaku Islands dispute, or Diaoyu Islands dispute, is a territorial dispute over a group of uninhabited islands known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, the Diaoyu Islands in China,[1] and Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan.[2] Aside from a 1945 to 1972 period of administration by the United States as part of the Ryukyu Islands, the archipelago has been controlled by Japan since 1895.[3] The territory is close to key shipping lanes and rich fishing grounds, and there may be oil reserves in the area.[4] [...] - A world atlas published in November 1958, by the Map Publishing Company of Beijing, treats the Senkaku Islands as a Japanese territory and described them in Japanese name Senkaku Guntō (Senkaku Islands) and Uotsuri-Jima,[35] [...] The stance given by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that the Senkaku Islands are clearly an inherent territory of Japan in light of historical facts and based upon international law, and the Senkaku Islands are under the valid control of Japan. They also state "there exists no issue of territorial sovereignty to be resolved concerning the Senkaku Islands."[10][57] The following points are given:
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-23): In a speech by then-Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in 2012, the Japanese stance was clarified: that the Senkaku Islands ‘are clearly an inherent territory of Japan, in light of historical facts and based upon international law’ (MOFA of Japan 2014; Noda 2012). Moreover, Japan denies any ‘issue of territorial sovereignty to be resolved’ in relation to the Senkaku Islands (MOFA of Japan 2016). The Japanese Government, after incorporating the Ryukyu Islands into Okinawa Prefecture, placed the Senkaku Islands in the same prefecture after 1885 surveys (conducted according to the established methods of duly acquiring territorial sovereignty under international law) which showed the islands as terra nullius, i.e., uninhabited with no sign of being under control of any state (MOFA of Japan 2014). Japan has provided documents to argue that, indeed, the PRC recognised the Senkaku Islands as part of Japanese territory in the 1950s and 1960s, such as in a 1953 issue of the China’s People’s Daily (Renmin Ribao), which reports on the populace of the Ryukyu Islands (which includes the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands) battling the US occupation (People’s Daily 1953). This position is further evidenced by Beijing’s silence on America’s use of the Senkaku Islands (Taisho Island and Kuba Island) for firing drills, as well as a Chinese map publisher’s atlas in 1958 illustrating the islands as the ‘Senkaku Group of Islands’ under Okinawa (MOFA of Japan 2010; Okinawa Peace Assistance Center 2016; Sakamoto 2016).
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-11-10): Ties between China and Japan have been strained by a territorial row over a group of islands, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China. [...] At the heart of the dispute are eight uninhabited islands and rocks in the East China Sea. They have a total area of about 7 sq km and lie north-east of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and south-west of Japan's southern-most prefecture, Okinawa. The islands are controlled by Japan. [...] But this angered China, triggering public and diplomatic protests. Since then, Chinese government ships have regularly sailed in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters around the islands.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-01-28): While Japan may control the islands and calls them Senkaku, China calls them Diaoyu and also makes a claim. [...] The Japanese Government says it holds an historical and legal claim to the Senkaku Islands. It says an 1885 survey found they had never been inhabited nor under Chinese control, and were thus identified as terra nullius and legally claimed by Japan in 1895. [...] Thus Mr Biden's explicit recognition of the Senkaku Islands as Japanese territory affirms a US commitment to defend them.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-04): Article V of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty states the United States' "ironclad" commitment to defend all of Japan, including the Senkaku Islands and other territories, said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III. The Senkaku Islands, claimed by China, are in the East China Sea, about 43 miles northeast of Taiwan. [...] Japan and the U.S. face major challenges including China's coercive behavior, North Korea's dangerous provocations and Russia's reckless war of choice against Ukraine, he said.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-04-23): Admittedly, there were points of friction. In 1978, when members of the ruling Japanese Liberal Democratic Party criticized their leadership for not leveraging Treaty of Peace and Friendship negotiations to get Beijing to cede its claim, hundreds of Chinese fishing ships appeared near the islands.76 The Chinese central government, however, later described the incident as "accidental," generating speculation that this was the result of internal divisions over the treaty.77 In 1992, the People’s Republic of China passed the Law on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, which explicitly names the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands as its territory. This move was reportedly fiercely debated internally and done under pressure from the military.78 But as both Beijing and Tokyo were more focused on the Japanese emperor’s upcoming visit to China, there was limited fallout.79 In 2008, official Chinese ships entered the territorial waters around the islands for the first time.80 In light of other high-level efforts to improve relations at the time, including a Sino-Japanese East China Sea joint development agreement — concluded despite internal Chinese opposition — some have attributed this to dissenting Chinese hardliners.81
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2000-01-01): The Senkaku Islands are an inherent part of the territory of Japan. In January 1895, after having carefully ascertained that the Senkaku Islands were uninhabited islands, and that there had been no trace of control over the islands by another state prior to that period, the Japanese Government incorporated the islands into Okinawa Prefecture based on a cabinet decision. This was accepted means of duly acquiring territorial sovereignty in accordance with international law. [...] When some Chinese fishermen from Fujian Province were drifted around Uotsuri Island of the Senkaku Islands, Japanese people rescued the Chinese fishermen. In response, the consul of the Republic of China in Nagasaki sent a letter of appreciation which had a reference to "the Senkaku Islands, Yaeyama County, Okinawa Prefecture, Empire of Japan."
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-07-08): Now Beijing may be slowly peeling back the onion in another disputed island chain, the rocky, uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan and known as the Diaoyus in China. [...] Tokyo says its claims to the islands are rooted in history. Japan’s Foreign Ministry website says in 1895 the chain was incorporated into Japanese territory after the government "carefully ascertained that there had been no trace of control over the Senkaku Islands by another state prior to that period." [...] "The US security commitment applies to ‘territories under the administration of Japan.’ Beijing may therefore be of the view that, if Japan no longer exercises such administration, the US security guarantee to the Senkaku Islands will no longer apply," he said.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-03-16): The following statement was released by the Security Consultative Committee. [...] The United States and Japan acknowledged that China’s behavior, where inconsistent with the existing international order, presents political, economic, military, and technological challenges to the Alliance and to the international community. The Ministers committed to opposing coercion and destabilizing behavior toward others in the region, which undermines the rules-based international system. They reaffirmed their support for unimpeded lawful commerce and respect for international law, including freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea. The Ministers also expressed serious concerns about recent disruptive developments in the region, such as the China Coast Guard law. Further, they discussed the United States’ unwavering commitment to the defense of Japan under Article V of our security treaty, which includes the Senkaku Islands. The United States and Japan remain opposed to any unilateral action that seeks to change the status quo or to undermine Japan’s administration of these islands. The Ministers underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. [...] Association of Southeast Asian NationsBureau of East Asian and Pacific AffairsChinaJapanNorth KoreaOffice of the SpokespersonSecretary TripSecuritySouth Korea
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-04-24): We stand together in calling for disputes in the region, including maritime issues, to be resolved peacefully through dialogue. We share a commitment to fundamental principles such as freedom of navigation and respect for international law. And let me reiterate that our treaty commitment to Japan’s security is absolute, and Article 5 covers all territories under Japan’s administration, including the Senkaku Islands. [...] PRIME MINISTER ABE: (As interpreted.) Through the talks with President Obama, as President Obama mentioned at the outset in his speech, between our two countries we have the security treaty and under the security treaty, all of the abilities and capabilities to perform the commitment is provided. And this includes all territories under the administration of Japan, inclusive of the Senkaku Islands. And any unilateral action to undermine Japan’s administration of the Senkaku Islands will be opposed by the United States. We agreed on this point. [...] PRESIDENT OBAMA: Our position is not new. Secretary Hagel, our Defense Secretary, when he visited here, Secretary of State John Kerry when he visited here, both indicated what has been our consistent position throughout. We don’t take a position on final sovereignty determinations with respect to Senkakus, but historically they have been administered by Japan and we do not believe that they should be subject to change unilaterally. And what is a consistent part of the alliance is that the treaty covers all territories administered by Japan. So this is not a new position, this is a consistent one.
Claim: Senkaku Islands is a territory of Japan (Senkaku Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-09-15): Senkaku Islands Facts & Figures - [...] On January 14, 1895, the Japanese government issued a cabinet decision to erect sovereignty markers on Uotsuri Island and Kuba Island and incorporate them into Japanese territory. Even before this date, though, the government had carried out surveys and field studies in preparation for development of these islands, and private citizens had settled on them and conducted business there. Going farther back into history, we can see that various islands in the Senkakus have served as landmarks for navigation during sea voyages, appearing on charts produced by Japanese, Chinese, and European seafarers. This Facts & Figures section on the Senkaku Islands provides accurate information to clarify the historical facts regarding the islands and to prove that they are an inherent part of the territory of Japan based upon international law. Drawing on official documents, reports on direct surveys of the islands, and other references, this section presents factual information, whose scientific basis is as clear as possible, in the categories listed below.