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"Rare Earths: The Hidden Cost to Their Magic", Distillations Podcast and transcript, Episode 242, June 25, 2019, Science History Institute |
The 2010 Senkaku boat collision incident (or the Minjinyu 5179 incident) occurred on the morning of September 7, 2010, when a Chinese trawler (Minjinyu 5179) operating in disputed waters collided with Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands. [1] [2] [3] There were several JCG boats involved, including Yonakuni and Mizuki, which collided with Minjinyu 5179, plus Hateruma and other JCG boats.
The collision and Japan's subsequent detention of the skipper, Zhan Qixiong (Chinese :詹其雄), resulted in a major diplomatic dispute between China and Japan. When China's repeated demands for the release of the skipper were refused and the detention of the skipper was extended for ten more days, the Chinese government cancelled official meetings of the ministerial level and above.
The detained Chinese crew members were released without charge and were allowed to return home. In China the overall event is perceived as a diplomatic victory, [4] while in Japan the Japanese government's "weak-kneed" handling of the issue was criticized, [5] particularly by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. [6] [7]
The Senkaku Islands are claimed by Japan, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. [8] [9] In 2008 a sports fishing boat from Taiwan, Lien Ho, was rammed and sunk by JCG patrol ships which led to an official apology and monetary compensation of NT$10 million paid by Japan. [10] Multiple events involving JCG and fishing boats from nearby Chinese provinces and Taiwan have occurred since 1972.
From 2005 to the 2010 incident, bilateral relations between China and Japan had been trending positively. [11] : 264
According to the JCG, the patrol boat Mizuki of the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters encountered Minjinyu 5179 at about 10:15 (JST) on September 7, 2010. Mizuki ordered Minjinyu 5179 to stop for inspection since Minjinyu 5179 was traveling 12 km (7.5 mi) north-west of the Senkaku Islands, which is outside the agreed area for Chinese fishing, and within disputed Japanese territorial waters. Minjinyu 5179 refused the order and attempted to flee from the scene. During the chase and interception, Minjinyu 5179 collided with JCG patrol vessels. On September 8, 2010, JCG boarded the Chinese trawler and arrested its captain for obstruction of performance of public duty and illegal fishing. [12] The trawler, the captain, and 14 crew members, were transported to Ishigaki Island of Japan [13] for detention. An investigator told the press that he smelled alcohol on the arrested captain [14] but apparently no alcohol test results were ever released.
In response to the arrest, the Chinese government made a series of diplomatic protests, demanding the immediate release of the trawler and all its crew. China summoned Uichiro Niwa, the Japanese ambassador to China in Beijing, six times, each time with an official of higher diplomatic rank, on one occasion after midnight. [15] The trawler and 14 of the crew members (but not the captain, Zhan) were released after the sixth summons on September 13, 2010. The captain of the trawler remained in Japanese detention and was finally released on September 24, 2010.
The Japanese government claims that there is no territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands. [11] : 264–265 On September 14, 2010, then-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Seiji Maehara repeatedly asserted this standpoint. [33]
On 19 September, the Japanese government extended its detention of the boat captain on the basis of domestic Japanese law. [11] : 264 This detention differed from the Japanese Coast Guard's usual approach of expelling or deporting those that it viewed as intruders in the area. [11] : 265 Japan also announced that the disputed islands were covered by the United States-Japan Security Alliance. [11] : 265
The business community thinks that this incident has exposed China's country risks, called "China risks" ( ja:チャイナリスク ) in Japan. Japanese companies proactively invest into rare earth mining in countries other than China. Examples include Sumitomo Corporation and Toshiba in Kazakhstan, Marubeni in South Africa, Sojitz and Toyota Tsusho in Vietnam, Sojitsu in Australia, and Sumitomo in the United States. [34] [35] Many companies have shifted the focus of investment away from China to India (the top recipient of Japanese investment) and the ASEAN nations. [36]
On October 2, 2010, large-scale anti-Chinese protests occurred in Tokyo and six other cities in Japan. [37] [38]
On November 6, an anti-Chinese demonstration was held in Hibiya Park. [39]
In the immediate aftermath of the arrest, the Chinese government sought to restrain hardline Chinese public sentiment. [11] : 264 The Chinese government ordered the China Federation for Defending the Diaoyu Islands to withdraw their open letter of protest to the Japanese government. [11] : 264 It also stopped a boat trip to the disputed islands from departing Xiamen on 10 September and dispersed anti-Japanese protests in Beijing, Nanjing, Changsha. [11] : 264 It instructed PLA media commentators not to talk about the incident, censored key words related to the dispute online, and shut down internet chat rooms. [11] : 264–265
The Chinese government's position grew firmer over time. [11] : 264–265 The Chinese government viewed Japan's extending of the captain's detention and statements about the islands being covered by the United States-Japan Security Alliance as a change to the status quo treatment of the disputed islands and as an assertion of Japanese de jure sovereignty over them. [11] : 265 In response, China detained four Japanese nationals for entering a restricted military area in China and also suspended high-level security exchanges with Japan. [11] : 265 Shortly thereafter, China placed informal limits on Japanese tourism and the export of rare earth metals to Japan (whether the restrictions on rare earth exports were a response to the incident remains a matter of debate as of at least 2024). [11] : 265
On September 23, 2010, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara that Senkaku and nearby waters are covered by the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, which obligates the United States to defend Japanese territory from attacks by third-party countries, [50] and maintained that USUALLY does not have a position regarding the sovereignty of the islands. At a press conference held on the same day, United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that in the event of military conflict over the Senkaku Islands, "Washington would honor its military commitment to intervene". [51] A reporter posed the same question to clarify an earlier Kyodo report that "US changed its position", similar statements were made at a US State Department Press Conference a month previously on August 16, 2010: "The U.S. position on this issue is longstanding and has not changed. The United States does not take a position on the question of the ultimate sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands. We expect the claimants to resolve this issue through peaceful means among themselves. But Article 5 of the 1960 U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security states that the treaty applies to the territories under the administration of Japan. There's no change. That (Kyodo) report is incorrect." [52]
At the press conference on September 23, 2010, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley stated in response to a question whether Senkaku islands are covered by the security treaty that "We do believe that because the Senkaku Islands are under Japanese jurisdiction, that it is covered by the U.S.-Japan security treaty. That said, we also stress that we don't take a position on the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands, but recognize current Japanese jurisdiction stemming back to the reversion of Okinawa to Japan." [53]
The Japanese government was unwilling to release the videos, originally stating that the videos may constitute evidence in a future court case. Trying to avoid further provoking China was another reason cited for not releasing the videos. Upon repeated demands from legislators in the Diet from some members of various parties (DPJ and LDP included), a viewing was finally arranged on November 1, 2010. During the viewing, only an edited version of 6'50" duration was seen. [54]
On November 4, 2010, video footage of the collisions taken by the Japan Coast Guard was leaked on YouTube, and authorities later confirmed authenticity of the video clips. [55] [56] The leaked clips totaled 44 minutes, [55] but were taken down about ten hours later with the original poster sengoku38's account deleted. However, the original video is said to run more than two hours. [57] This is supported by the fact that in some of the videos other crew members were also holding video cameras doing recordings.
It was later revealed that the leak was done by a Japan Coast Guard Navigator from the Kobe Coast Guard Office, Masaharu Isshiki ( ja:一色正春 ). He first sent a SD memory card with a copy of the footage of the incident to the offices of CNN in Japan, then when CNN did not post the contents of the memory card he uploaded the video to YouTube. [58]
The Japanese government views the leak as a breach of confidentiality and security. Contrary to Naoto Kan government's claim/fear that releasing the video might upset China, the Chinese government does not seem to mind the leak, stating that "The so-called video can neither change the facts nor cover up Japan's crime." [59] A few hours later, China Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei said, "I would like to reiterate that the Japanese patrol boats had disturbed, driven away, intercepted and surrounded the Chinese fishing boat, which led to the collision." [60] [61]
Meanwhile, both Japanese civilians and Chinese civilians and media [62] in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan welcomed the leak citing their right to know. Each group viewed the content of the video as presenting evidence favorable to their own cause in the dispute. [63] Japanese claim the videos show Minjinyu 5179 rammed into JCG boats Yonakuni and Mizuki. Chinese claim that the two JCG boats cut in front of the Chinese trawler abruptly and are equally responsible for the collision, citing the much smaller size and slower speed of the Minjinyu 5179 and the wake of the JCG boats left in front of Minjinyu 5179.
Although YouTube is blocked inside mainland China, the videos were quickly reproduced on many Chinese websites.
Original posted name | Duration of clip | Taken by | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
本当の尖閣 海上保安庁1 | 7'30" | Yonakuni, a Hateruma-class patrol vessel | |
尖閣の真実 海上保安庁2 | 8'9" | JCG tried to order Minjinyu 5179 to stop | |
尖閣侵略の真実 海上保安庁3 | 11'21" | ||
本当の尖閣 海上保安庁4 | 11'24" | first collision with Yonakuni | |
日本の尖閣 海上保安庁5 | 3'33" | Mizuki, a Bizan-class patrol vessel | second collision with Mizuki |
どうなる尖閣 海上保安庁6 | 2'29" | Hateruma, a Hateruma-class patrol vessel | second collision with Mizuki, viewed by afar |
According to the Asahi Shimbun , since returning to China government authorities have confined Zhan Qixiong to his home. An Asahi reporter who attempted to interview Qixiong at his home in Jinjiang on September 5, 2011, was turned away by Chinese police. Local residents confirmed to the reporter that Qixiong was living at the residence but was not allowed to leave except in rare instances. Two holes in the bow of Minjinyu 5179, apparently caused by the collisions, have been repaired since the boat returned to China, but the boat has not been on any further fishing expeditions. Local Jinjiang fishermen told the Asahi reporter that they have mainly stayed away from the Senkaku Islands since the incident, but would go back, "as long as there were fish in the area." [64] [65]
Ishigaki Island, also known as Ishigakijima, is a Japanese island south-west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group, behind Iriomote Island. It is located approximately 411 km (255 mi) south-west of Okinawa Hontō. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. The city functions as the business and transport center of the archipelago. The island is served by New Ishigaki Airport, the largest airport in the Yaeyamas.
The Senkaku Islands, also known as the Pinnacle Islands or the Diaoyu Islands in China and as the Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan.
Naoto Kan is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) from June 2010 to September 2011.
The Japan Coast Guard is the coast guard responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It consists of about 13,700 personnel. The Japan Coast Guard was founded in 1948 as the Maritime Safety Agency and received its current English name in 2000.
MY Ady Gil was a 78-foot (24 m), wave-piercing trimaran originally created as part of a project to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. Powered by biodiesel fuel, the vessel was also capable of running on regular diesel fuel. It used other eco-friendly materials such as vegetable oil lubricants, hemp composites, and non-toxic anti-fouling, and had features such as bilge-water filters.
Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands is a Hong Kong-based activist organisation that asserts Chinese sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, called Senkaku Islands in Japan, in the Senkaku Islands dispute. The territorial right to the islands is disputed between the China, the Taiwan, and Japan, who currently controls them. The group regularly sends expeditions to the islands and would make landing on them to assert Chinese sovereignty.
China–Japan relations or Sino-Japanese relations are the bilateral relations between China and Japan. The countries are geographically separated by the East China Sea. Japan has been strongly influenced throughout its history by China, especially by the East and Southeast through the gradual process of Sinicization with its language, architecture, culture, cuisine, religion, philosophy, and law. When Japan was forced to open trade relations with the West after the Perry Expedition in the mid-19th century, Japan plunged itself through an active process of Westernization during the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and began viewing China under the Qing dynasty as an antiquated civilization unable to defend itself against foreign forces—in part due to the First and Second Opium Wars along with the Eight-Nation Alliance's involvement in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion. Japan eventually took advantage of such weaknesses by invading China, including the First Sino-Japanese War and the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Hateruma-class patrol vessel is a class of PL type patrol vessels of the Japan Coast Guard. PL stands for "Patrol vessel Large", and the class name "Hateruma" is named after Hateruma-jima, the southernmost inhabited island of Japan.
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, and Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan. 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. The territory is close to key shipping lanes and rich fishing grounds, and there may be oil reserves in the area.
Senkaku Jinja (尖閣神社) is a Shinto shrine located on Uotsuri-jima in the Senkaku Islands, Japan. The shrine is dedicated to Amaterasu.
Hinomoto Oniko is a Japanese moe character created in 2010 which originated from the Breaking News (VIP) Board on 2channel, and has since become an internet meme within various forums and imageboards in Japan. The character is a moe anthropomorphism of the phrase "日本鬼子", a commonly used Chinese ethnic slur against people of Japanese descent.
The 2010 Eocheong boat collision incident occurred on December 18, 2010 off Eocheong Island in the Yellow Sea. It involved the Republic of Korea Coast Guard (ROK) and fishermen from the People's Republic of China. About 503 Chinese trawlers were illegally fishing about 12,000 kilometers off the island of Eocheong. A Republic of Korea Coast Guard ship shot the fishermen with water cannons to move them back. When the coast guardsmen began boarding the ship to detain the fishermen, the trawler intentionally collided with one of the Korean coastguard patrol boats.
Ganbare Nippon! Zenkoku Kōdō Iinkai (頑張れ日本!全国行動委員会), usually abbreviated to Ganbare Nippon (頑張れ日本), is a Japanese conservative nationalist group founded on February 2, 2010. One of the founders was right-wing filmmaker and playwright Satoru Mizushima.
From August to September 2012, a series of anti-Japanese demonstrations were held across more than 100 cities in China. The main cause of the demonstrations was the escalation of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute between China and Japan around the time of the anniversary of the Mukden Incident of 1931, which was the de facto catalyst to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, culminating in a humiliating Chinese defeat and a decisive Japanese victory vis-à-vis total consolidation and annexation of Manchuria. Protesters in several cities later became violent and local authorities began arresting demonstrators and banning the demonstrations.
Baodiao movement is a social movement originating among Republic of China students in the United States in the 1970s, and more recently expressed in China that asserts Chinese sovereignty over the Senkaku/Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai Islands. The territorial right to the islands is disputed among the China, the Taiwan, and Japan. Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands and China Federation for Defending the Diaoyu Islands are the main representative organizations in the movement.
China Marine Surveillance was a maritime surveillance agency of China.
The Shikishima-class patrol vessel is a class of PLH type patrol vessels of the Japan Coast Guard. In the official classification, Shikishima and Akitsushima are treated as the only ships in their classes, respectively; and Reimei is treated as the lead ship of her class. The Shikishima class was once the world's largest coast guard vessel until it was surpassed by the Chinese Zhaotou-class patrol cutter in 2015.
The Kunigami-class patrol vessel is a class of 1,000 ton-class PL type patrol vessels of the Japan Coast Guard (JCG).
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