Saiki dispatched to China to ease tensions over isles

[Vikrant]

The government dispatched Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki to Beijing on Monday for two days of talks aimed at easing tensions being caused by the Senkaku Islands dispute.

Saiki is scheduled to meet with his counterpart, Zhang Yesui. The two may exchange views on the timing for a potential summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping, sources said.

China has said there will be no summit as long as Japan refuses to officially admit the existence of the territorial dispute involving the Senkakus. Japan argues the summit should be held without preconditions.

Japan put the uninhabited isles in the East China Sea under state control last September, despite fierce criticism from China.

“A summit is not in sight yet,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference. “Both Japan and China are responsible for contributing to world peace and prosperity, so we should have frank discussions.”

Another Japanese official said: “We stand firm in our stance of not recognizing a territorial dispute, but we believe it’s possible for the two countries to avert a crisis through dialogue.”

Saiki hopes to confirm that the two countries will calmly address the row. The Senkakus are claimed as Diaoyu by China and as Tiaoyutai by Taiwan.

The nominal purpose of his visit is to pay courtesy calls on senior Chinese officials as the new vice foreign minister. Saiki assumed the post in late June.

Saiki dispatched to China to ease tensions over isles | The Japan Times

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - Obama gonna get us in another one o' dem crazy Asian wars...

Obama: Senkaku Islands 'within scope' of US-Japan security treaty
April 22, 2014 ~ The "Article 5" treaty stipulates U.S. defense obligations to Japan, and Obama's comment means the U.S. will defend Japan in the event of a Chinese incursion on the islets, over which China also claims sovereignty.

President Barack Obama has stated that the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture are subject to a security treaty between Japan and the U.S. that outlines America's defense obligations to Japan. "The policy of the United States is clear: The Senkaku Islands are administered by Japan and therefore fall within the scope of Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. And we oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan's administration of these islands," the U.S leader stated, in a written reply to questions submitted by The Yomiuri Shimbun, ahead of his visit to Japan starting Wednesday.

Article 5 stipulates U.S. defense obligations to Japan, which apply to territories under the administration of Japan. Obama's comment therefore means the United States will defend Japan in the event of a Chinese incursion on the islets, over which China also claims sovereignty. Mentioning "mutual interest" between the United States and China, Obama said his country will "deal directly and candidly" with China over differences on such issues. He also stressed that maritime issues should be handled constructively. "Disputes need to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, not intimidation and coercion," the president said.

A China coast guard vessel numbered 2350, left, is followed by a Japan coast guard ship as it intruded into Japan's territorial waters with other vessels near the disputed East China Sea islands called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China

The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to revise the government's interpretation of the constitution, which prohibits the nation from exercising the right to collective self-defense. Obama said he has "enthusiastically welcomed Japan's desire to play a greater role in upholding international security." "I commend Prime Minister Abe for his efforts to strengthen Japan's defense forces and to deepen the coordination between our militaries, including by reviewing existing limits on the exercise of collective self-defense," the president said, requesting the Self-Defense Forces "do more within the framework of our alliance."

Obama's four-nation Asia tour aims to reassure the countries involved of his continuous commitment to and U.S. presence in the region. Describing the alliance as "stronger than ever," Obama hailed Japan's role. "The world is better off because of Japan's long-standing commitment to international peace and security," he said.

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China seizes Japanese ship in dispute dating to 1930s
April 21, 2014 — In a fresh reminder of the unresolved wartime grievances between China and Japan, authorities in Shanghai have seized a Japanese ship over claims dating back to the 1930s.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said Monday that one of its iron ore carriers, the Baosteel Emotion, was impounded Saturday. Japan’s top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, denounced the move, saying it could have a “chilling effect” on all Japanese companies doing business in China. “We are deeply apprehensive,” he added. Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have been on the rise. Japan is worried about China’s increasing military might, while China is nervous about efforts in Japan to revise its post-World War II pacifist constitution.

The two countries are sparring over a group of uninhabited islands, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s December visit to the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo that critics say honors war criminals has drawn strong fire from Beijing. Abe on Monday sent a ritual offering to the shrine to mark the start of the spring festival. Nevertheless, the extensive economic ties between the two neighbors have been seen as a steadying influence, and the seizure of the ship appeared to be the first case of a Chinese court confiscating Japanese assets related to wartime claims. According to the Shanghai Maritime Court, the Baosteel Emotion was impounded because Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has failed to pay a Chinese company, the Chung Wei Steamship Co., about $28 million as ordered by Chinese courts in 2010.

According to a timeline of the dispute released Monday by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, in 1936, a Japanese company called Daido Kaiun — a predecessor to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines — chartered two ships from Chung Wei Steamship Co. They were later expropriated by the Japanese government and sank or were lost at sea during the Sino-Japanese war. Heirs to the owner of Chung Wei sought multiple times to pursue damages and reparations in Japanese courts in the 1970s, to no avail. Japan says all such grievances were settled under an agreement in 1972, when the two countries normalized relations.

In 1988, however, the heirs filed a case with the Shanghai Maritime Court. Finally, in 2007, the court ruled in their favor, ordering Mitsui O.S.K. Lines to pay $28 million. The Japanese firm tried to appeal the ruling with several Chinese courts to no avail, and later attempted to negotiate a settlement. In December, the plaintiffs asked Chinese authorities to enforce a confiscation order, and officials acted this month after the Baosteel Emotion docked near Shanghai. Ironically, the ship was carrying iron ore from Australia on behalf of another Chinese company, Baoshan Iron and Steel, which has a 25-year contract with Mitsui-O.S.K. Lines for transport of the raw material to China.

China seizes Japanese ship in dispute dating to 1930s - Pacific - Stripes