From the article of 'Petrel'
No.605 / November 10, 1996

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The facts of history around the Senkaku Islands

The lie of the Communist Party is being clarified

'The Senkaku Islands' (Written by Kiyoshi Inoue)



The Communist Party assumes in the problem of The Senkaku Islands like The Liberal-Democratic Party as "It is a peculiar territory of Japan," "There is not a historical material that the other country except Japan owned here," "The possession of the Senkaku Islands is the completely different problem from the Sino-Japanese War." However "The Senkaku Islands" (published from Daisannshokan) by Kiyoshi Inoue has clarified that such insistences are the completely groundless nonsense. (This book is the one that is reprinted partially from the same name book published in 1972.) Hereafter, let's expose the negligence of the insistence of the Communist Party introducing this book.



<> About the historical materials

The Communist Party is asserting, "The historical material that proves the Senkaku Islands having been owned by the country somewhere including China is not found" before Japan declared to "Own" the Senkaku Islands in 1895. However according to Inoue, the Senkaku Islands were regarded as the "Territory" of China virtually in Ming and Ching's ages, and he has clarified the historical material.

It shows that the Senkaku Islands is the Diaoyu Islands in Chinese name, it had the name of the Diaoyu Island (the Uoturi Island in Japanese name), ԛ (the Akashima in Japanese pronunciation and the Kuba Island in Japanese name), (the Obishima in Japanese pronunciation and the Taishou Island in Japanese name) and the like from 15th or 16th century, the Japanese name was not clear at the "own declaration" time in 1895, the name of "the Senkakun Islands" was named by Wataru Kuroiwa in 1900.

As the historical materials concerning the Senkaku Islands, it introduces "The General survey illustration of the three countries" (1785) by Shihei Hayashi in Japan, "The Chuzan Segan" (1650) by Koshoken in the Ryukyu Dynasty, "The Ryukyu Envoy Document" (1543) by Chin Kan (in Japanese pronunciation) and "The second edition of the Ryukyu Envoy Document" (1562) by Kaku Jorin (in Japanese pronunciation) from the side of China, who were the Sakuhoshi, that is, the envoy who were sent by the Emperor of China to the Ryukyu Dynasty in order to approve the throne and to give him the crown and the clothes.

First of all, the characteristic as document material is that the document of Japan and Ryukyu exist very few, on the other hand the one of China to have referred to the Diaoyu Islands exist many. This is from the following reasons. These islands had been regardless of Ryukyu people besides existing in the sea route from Hukusyu in China to Naha, and they were not able to even approach from Ryukyu to this islands usually by the navigation art at that time because the wind and the tide become like the fair wind and the foreflow from Fukien and Taiwan to the Diaoyu Islands, but become the contrary wind and the backflow from Ryukyu.

Therefore, the knowledge about this island of Ryukyu people was not able to be acquired through Chinese at the first.

On the other hand, the Chinese in the Ming and Ching age had the circumstances by which they could do nothing but have been interested in these islands. "Because partly the Ryukyu Sakuhoshi had gone along near the islands, and partly the Ming dynasty government in the 15th and 16th century had to clarify the geography of the East Sea in preparation for the China coast attack of the Wako." It is clarified that the material of Japan side about the Diaoyu Islands could do nothing but had been made based on the material of China side therefore.

And, though there is not the document that declared clearly the "Own" of Diaoyu islands in the material of China, he raises first the one of Chinkan and Kakujorin in the Ching age as a document regarded it as a "Territory" of the Ming country and the Ching country virtually. He assumes that the following part in 'The second edition of the Ryukyu Envoy Document' of Kakujorin becomes a problem especially. "(Put out to sea from Hukushu in May 1562.) Pass through the Turishima in the early May 1, arrived at the Akashima at early 3. The Akashima is the mountain that forms the boundary from the Ryukyu area. If the wind blows again a day, we could hope the Kume island." (p.29)

Here, it says that the Akashima is a mountain "forming the boundary" from Ryukyu area, he says that it is the meaning to form the boundary between China and Ryukyu. He says, therefore the Diaoyu islands were regarded as the "Territory" of China virtually in that age.

In addition, "The Ryukyu Envoy Miscellany"(1682) in the following Ching age assumes between the Akashima and the Kume island to be "the boundary at home and abroad."

"The Ryukyu Country Topographic Abbreviation" of Shuko also described similarly as "the boundary between the home and abroad," we can confirm the same thing in "The Tyuzan Hearsay Document" of Johoko. (Entered Ryukyu in 1719, this book was published in Japan version and is said to be of high reliability.)

Inoue criticizes the Communist Party as "Are we able to say that the West from Akashima was the ground hold by nobody and there is no document that specified Diaoyu island as the territory of China, still?"

In addition, he takes up also in the document of Japanese side the map fixed there in "the General survey illustration of three countries" of Shihei Hayashi. Japan, Ryukyu, Taiwan, and China were colored respectively by another color and the Senkaku Islands (the Diaoyu Islands etc.) were colored by the same color as China there. He urges it is undeniable that the Japanese side was having recognized the Senkaku islands as the Chinese territory then. "It is no doubt and obvious by this figure that Shihei regarded the Diaoyu islands as the territory of China. ...The Senkaku islands that are so small as the poppy seed are painted clearly even in the so to speak East Asia complete map that is so wide-ranging as to put Japan in the center and draw from Kamchatska in the north, the Ogasawara islands in the South, the China in the West, moreover they are painted in the same color as China. Because it was definitely important for 'the Illustration' of Shihei to clarify the range and the boundary in each country, the Diaoyu islands were not able to be omitted" (p.44)

It is at least clearly a complete mistake that the Communist Party says there is not the historical material making the Senkaku Islands of the territories other than Japan. It exists in not only the material on Chinese side but also the material on Japanese side.



<> The Ryukyu Disposal and the negotiation between Japan and the Ching Dynasty

Next, let's confirm the situation about when Japan declared the Senkaku islands as the "Territory" of Japan in 1895.

It is since "the Ryukyu disposal" in 1879 that the Diaoyu Islands have entered the view of the Japanese government as own "Territory." Though the Ryukyu Kingdom had been subordinated and belonged to both Japan and the Ching country until then, it was put in the Meiji government by abolishing the Ryukyu Clan and making it to the Okinawa Prefecture that year.

Though the various negotiations for the Ryukyu division with the Ching country that protested against the Ryukyu Disposal had been advanced with the revision of the Japan and Ching Amity Agreement, it had been discussed by both parties of the ideas by which Ryukyu was divided into three or two, it came to cut off in the Japan and Ching Amity Agreement after all and the negotiation about Ryukyu came to remain breakdown.

The Japanese government came to aim at the rule and own of the whole Ryukyu after the breakdown of the negotiation, "the Diaoyu Islands located in the sea between Ryukyu and the Chinese mainland entered the view of the Emperor Government for the first time" after 1885.

The Home office intended to own this islands and ordered the Okinawa Pref. to investigate them, the prefecture described the Ching country "clearly not only has the detailed knowledge of them but also named each islands and maked them as the target of the Ryukyu navigation" in the report book, that is, it described that they were probably the Chinese territory so the government could not set up the country signpost soon after the field research.

And, there was the confrontation between the strong sect named "It is necessary to set up the country signpost" at once as Yamagata home affairs lord etc. and the careful sect of Inoue foreign affairs lord etc. and the like, "the Owning declaration" of the Diaoyu islands was settled to make in "the Chance some other time." It is because it was in 1895 when Japan won in the Sino-Japanese War.

That is, it is the fact that the confrontation of Japan and Ching since the Ryukyu disposal was not still clearly settled for the division idea etc. of Ryukyu to be made a problem in the confrontation relation of Japan insisting on one-sided rule of Ryukyu and the Ching country protesting against it. (The idea of ceding the Yaeyama West including the Senkaku Islands to the Ching country comes out, too.) Therefore, it can be said that such as the belonging problem of the Senkaku islands in the most near continental was left untouched.

Such circumstances teach that the application for "Loan wish" of these islands that were the uninhabited islands because of the collection of Japanese Koga Tatushirou of albatross's feathers in 1885 is received and saying is not correct as the Japan owning this island was advanced from a peaceful, economical motive.

Even if the application of Koga became one opportunity, Japan that had begun to trace the roads to the system of the modern nations and the development of capitalism previously "Owned" of these islands one-sidedly in the fight for owning with the Ching country.

Though Yamagata etc. had already discussed the military role of Okinawa, especially this Diaoyu Islands, it was clear if these islands became the territories in Japan, it became a strong foothold to China and Southeast Asia. He says Japan was watching for the chance to own the all Ryukyu including the Senkaku Islands taking the opportunity of the breakdown of the negotiation between Japan and Ching both nations about Ryukyu.

Might if such circumstances are based, it is clear how the following insistences of Japanese government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs opinion in 1972, and the insistence of the Communist Party also) are negligent. "The Senkaku islands, after the government's investigating the locale repeatedly after 1885 and confirming not only these were the uninhabited islands but also there were no signs that the rule of the Ching country reached carefully, the Cabinet Council decided to construct the sign post in the locale on January 14, 1895", and "is incorporated into the territory of Japan" so and so.



<> "Stolen and deprived" taking advantage of the Sino-Japanese War.



And, "the Owning Declaration" of the Senkaku Islands was performed while Japan was winning in the Sino-Japanese War from 1994 to 1995. Inoue is writing these circumstances as follows.

"The splendid chance when the Tenno System government would plunder the Diaoyu Islands was just simultaneous when the government and the imperial headquarters decided the policy to occupy Taiwan according to the strategy of Prime Minister Ito. If the government would set up a country signpost openly in 1885 it would "invite the doubt" of Ching country, and the government feared becoming dispute. But now, if Japan would set up a signpost in the Diaoyu Islands, Ching country has no power to complaint. Even if protesting, it would be settled by mere rejection." (P. 121)

Actually it is clear that Japan got an overwhelming victory in the war against the Ching country and got the Diaoyu Islands in the background of the military power. Certainly, such as the Senkaku Islands were not touched in the Shimonoseki peace agreement at all. However, it was natural. It was the belonging of Ryukyu itself that the conclusion had been made by this war. That is, the existing fact that Japan had made up in Ryukyu till then was established because Ching country did not put out objection to it (though it is true that there was not the condition to put forward the objection.) in case of the creation of the new relation between the both nations of Japan and Ching. Japan eliminated all the historical rights and interests of the Ching country to Ryukyu, and established the Ryukyu monopoly of Japan for the first time finally by the victory of the Sino-Japanese War, and had to do only the one-sided "Owning Declaration" of the Senkaku Islands.

Though the Communist Party insists obstinately, "It is a incorrect expansion of territory and cannot be justified that the Japan Ching Peace Agreement to conclude the Shino-Japanese War decided the cession of Taiwan and the Hoko Islands to Japan. However, the Senkaku Islands problem had been treated as the distinct problem from the Taiwan and Hoko Islands problem in every historical material," it is only a delirium at all. The "Owned" of the Senkaku Islands not only can be said nothing of "Complete irrelevance" with the Sino-Japanese War but was achieved as the result. There would not be able to be "the Equal Relation" between the victory nation Japan and the defeat nation Ching country, and it was not the situation in which the Ching country could protest against it. It was to have ended by "a Refusal" even if the Ching country protested by any chance. The Communist Party is actually defending even the imperialistic "Robbery" under the background of such military power.

After previous quotation, Inoue keeps as following. "The government had already decided the Taiwan occupation strategy, to plunder here without fail from Ching country in case of the peace. It is not mysterious for the arrogant government to think that the military occupation of the small uninhabited island as the Diaoyu Islands between Taiwan and Okinawa pref. is not necessary, it is to have ended by setting up a signpost to show there the jurisdiction of the Okinawa pref. silently." (The same as above)

And, he describes following further.

"The government of Ching country had lost even the power to insist the historical right of Ching country to Ryukyu, where it had never abandoned at all, because of the shock of defeat such as to have been forced the cession not only of Taiwan but also of the important place of mainland, the Laodong Peninsula temporarily to Japan. Much less there might not be the afford to negotiate with Japan and fix the owing right of such small islands as poppy seed existing in the middle of Ryukyu and Taiwan. Japanese government maked it as a piece of good luck, had eliminated all the historical right of China concerning Ryukyu naturally, and had stolen the islands of China territory from Diaoyu Island to Akashima at which aimed beforehand" (P.135)

Inoue is clearly proper in case of this. And, it is also clear how the insistence of the Communist Party is the groundless, reactionary one that swallows the insistence of the government whole.

Inoue's standpoint might offer the valuable one in examining the insistence around the Senkaku Islands of the Communist Party and the reactionary nationalism, though there is also a little part of problem as to talk about "True Patriotism."