amoy
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http://www.japanprobe.com/2007/04/10/okinotorishimaisland/
Okinotorishima…island?
Taiwan's Ma says Okinotorishima not an island
http://www.japanprobe.com/2007/04/10/okinotorishimaisland/
From the Yoimiuri Shinbun:
A solar-powered lighthouse at Okinotorishima island, Japan’s southernmost islet, is seen in this photo taken Thursday. Standing three meters tall, 26 meters above sea level, the lighthouse on the roof of the observatory building began operating on March 16. The Japan Coast Guard wanted the lighthouse partly to counter China’s claim that Okinotorishima is merely a rock reef. The island is surrounded by an exclusive economic zone of about 400,000 square kilometers, but covers an area of only 4.5 tatami mats at high tide.
According to Wikipedia, Okinotorishima’s island status isn’t exactly clear [depending on how you define “rock”]:
Typhoons and global warming are constant threats to Okinotori’s existence. A few decades ago, there were about five or six visible protrusions, but by 1989, only two were visible.
In order to prevent the island from submersion caused by erosion and maintain the claim to the EEZ, the Japanese government launched an embankment building project in 1987, and Higashikojima and Kitakojima were surrounded by concrete. Japan has encased the reefs with $280 million worth of concrete and covered the smaller one with a $50 million titanium net to shield it from debris thrown up by the ocean’s waves. In fact, the Japanese government has spent over $600 million dollars fortifying the reefs to prevent them from being completely washed away.
Furthermore, the Nippon Foundation has drawn plans to build a lighthouse and increase the size of the reef by breeding microorganisms known as foraminifera.
Currently, Japan carries out research and observation of the area, as well as repair work on the embankment….
….Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an island is “a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide”. It states that “rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone.” Japan signed the Convention in 1983; the Convention came into force in 1994—1996 for Japan.
Okinotorishima lies in a strategic position between the U.S. military bases on Guam and Taiwan, and it is said that the waters around Okinotorishima could hold natural resources such as oil, so rather than accept Japan’s territorial claim, China has stated that it does not consider it to be a legal island. Considering the fact that Okinotorishima looks like this, could you really blame them for disputing Japan’s claim?
Hmm..I think there might be something naturally formed around there. Ah, here it is:
Several decades ago, when Okinotorishima was slightly less-eroded and a lot more natural, the United States controlled it as land seized from Japan at the end of World War II. It was returned to Japan in 1968, and the United States has since regarded it as an island, not rocks, and a legal part of Japan’s territory. The dispute with China over the legal status of Okinotorishima has yet to become a major issue, but when it does, Japan can probably count on having U.S. support for its claim, which should keep it within Japanese control for the near future…
Okinotorishima…island?
Taiwan's Ma says Okinotorishima not an island
http://www.japanprobe.com/2007/04/10/okinotorishimaisland/
From the Yoimiuri Shinbun:
A solar-powered lighthouse at Okinotorishima island, Japan’s southernmost islet, is seen in this photo taken Thursday. Standing three meters tall, 26 meters above sea level, the lighthouse on the roof of the observatory building began operating on March 16. The Japan Coast Guard wanted the lighthouse partly to counter China’s claim that Okinotorishima is merely a rock reef. The island is surrounded by an exclusive economic zone of about 400,000 square kilometers, but covers an area of only 4.5 tatami mats at high tide.
According to Wikipedia, Okinotorishima’s island status isn’t exactly clear [depending on how you define “rock”]:
Typhoons and global warming are constant threats to Okinotori’s existence. A few decades ago, there were about five or six visible protrusions, but by 1989, only two were visible.
In order to prevent the island from submersion caused by erosion and maintain the claim to the EEZ, the Japanese government launched an embankment building project in 1987, and Higashikojima and Kitakojima were surrounded by concrete. Japan has encased the reefs with $280 million worth of concrete and covered the smaller one with a $50 million titanium net to shield it from debris thrown up by the ocean’s waves. In fact, the Japanese government has spent over $600 million dollars fortifying the reefs to prevent them from being completely washed away.
Furthermore, the Nippon Foundation has drawn plans to build a lighthouse and increase the size of the reef by breeding microorganisms known as foraminifera.
Currently, Japan carries out research and observation of the area, as well as repair work on the embankment….
….Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an island is “a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide”. It states that “rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone.” Japan signed the Convention in 1983; the Convention came into force in 1994—1996 for Japan.
Okinotorishima lies in a strategic position between the U.S. military bases on Guam and Taiwan, and it is said that the waters around Okinotorishima could hold natural resources such as oil, so rather than accept Japan’s territorial claim, China has stated that it does not consider it to be a legal island. Considering the fact that Okinotorishima looks like this, could you really blame them for disputing Japan’s claim?
Hmm..I think there might be something naturally formed around there. Ah, here it is:
Several decades ago, when Okinotorishima was slightly less-eroded and a lot more natural, the United States controlled it as land seized from Japan at the end of World War II. It was returned to Japan in 1968, and the United States has since regarded it as an island, not rocks, and a legal part of Japan’s territory. The dispute with China over the legal status of Okinotorishima has yet to become a major issue, but when it does, Japan can probably count on having U.S. support for its claim, which should keep it within Japanese control for the near future…