Japan digs in to protect ocean rights

Asahi.com ^ | March 9, 2005 | The Asahi Shimbun

[Bald Eagle777]

Rattled by China's development of the Chunxiao gas field in the East China Sea, the government is setting up a task force to ensure Japan's vast ocean interests are protected.

The task force comprising officials from various ministries and agencies will be in place this month and operate with a focus on Okinotorishima island, Japan's southernmost point. Located more than 1,600 kilometers south of the capital, the island is part of the Ogasawara chain and comes under the jurisdiction of Tokyo.

Actually, the island is two tiny islets: but its location gives Japan a huge advantage. The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the island covers about 400,000 square kilometers, larger than Japan's total territory of about 380,000 square km.

Because the islets are being eroded by the constant pounding of waves, the government will dispatch engineers to install concrete breakwaters. This will ensure the outcrops don't disappear below the ocean surface, meaning that Japan can continue to claim its EEZ from these outer limits.

Okinotorishima has been making headlines recently because Chinese ships have repeatedly entered Japan's EEZ around the island to survey underwater resources. Beijing does not recognize Okinotorishima as Japanese territory, insisting it is nothing more than a pile of rocks.

Task force members hope to have policies in place by August so they can obtain budgetary funding for fiscal 2006.

Chinese ships were last spotted in the EEZ around Okinotorishima in December. That prompted officials in Tokyo to step up efforts to defend Japan's ocean rights.

The task force intends to strengthen ways to catch intruders and initiate more marine and meteorological surveys around the island. There are also plans to construct a lighthouse there, sources said.

Their studies include finding ways to ensure the island does not get swallowed up by rising sea levels due to global warming.

Japan is locked in a fierce diplomatic battle with China over Beijing's exploration of the Chunxiao gas field under the ocean bed. Tokyo fears that China will suck precious resources from its side of the EEZ.

Territorial sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands, also in the East China Sea, is also disputed by Beijing.

Some years ago, right-wingers constructed a makeshift lighthouse on Senkaku's main island of Uotsurijima to press Tokyo's effective control. Last month, the government announced the lighthouse will be maintained and controlled by the Japan Coast Guard to show its determination to defend its ocean interests.

The government is under pressure from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to take a stronger stand on this and other issues concerning territorial sovereignty.

In October, the LDP set up a special committee to discuss Japan's ocean rights in response to growing concern about China's exploration activities.

The committee plans to wrap up its policies by the end of this month.

Nations with coastlines are allowed to control ocean resources for 200 nautical miles under the EEZ system. China disputes the demarcation line separating the two countries' EEZs

[Bald Eagle777]

Japan is wise to keep an eye on China's territorial claims. China's virulent, aggressive drive for global energy sources will only continue to escalate. Those that believe that China's energy requirements are somehow stable or even manageable are dead wrong. Keep an eye on China's unmitigated greed for energy, particularly oil and their shameless, brazen assault on their neighbor's resources. Their unfounded claims will be pursued by the ChiComs with utmost vigor in the weeks and years ahead.

Those who wistfully believe that China acquiring oil from Saudi Arabia (and others), for example, yet not require oil from South America, for example, are 100% dead wrong in their erroneous assessment. We are looking at a zero sum energy game here, with a rapacious China unreasonably demanding an ever greater, disproportionate share of energy resources throughout the Pacific and around the globe.

I generally tend to concur with those who foresee a 150% (I believe personally believe that greater than 150% is more correct) increase in China's energy demands in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, I would submit that China's brazen, shameless drive for resources among other factors (Taiwan, island claims like the Senkakus or Okinotorishima; unfounded expansion of its EEZ; submarines ending up where they do not belong… etc) is placing it firmly and irrevocably in the path of military conflict.

[henderson field]

But we don't want to be too harsh with the Chinese.
If we are, they might not want to buy U.S. bonds any more.
And then the politicians wouldn't be able to spend taxpayer money to keep themselves in office.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

What's left for the Clintons to sell ?

[Bald Eagle777]

Us.

[Bald Eagle777]

I so totally agree. We need overseas Chinese Communist money to grease the wheels! (sarc) I believe we call these business interests Friends of Bill, right? A little campaign money or Bonds here, some high-tech exports there, etc.

You know, the basic force modernization package.

When they turn on us, just remember, we helped them! Oh yeah, as a bonus the politicians economically rape the land and the people with their out of control spending and usurious taxes.

Swell, just swell. Does this give us that "warm fuzzy feeling"? I don't think so....

I think Sting has the best depiction of this state of affairs came up with this line in Synchronicity II:

"...a humiliating kick in the crotch."

A little kick in the crotch here, a little stab in the back there, you know, business as usual.

[Bald Eagle777]

Lyrics link: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/police,-the/110059.html

The Police, SYNCHRONICITY II LYRICS:

"Another suburban family morning
Grandmother screaming at the wall

We have to shout above the din of our rice crispies
We can’t hear anything at all
Mother chants her litany of boredom and frustration
But we all know her suicides are fake
Daddy only stares into the distance
There’s only so much more that he can take
Many miles away
Something crawls from the slime
At the bottom of a dark
Scottish lake

Another industrial ugly morning
Tha factory belches filth into the sky
He walks unhindered through the picket lines today
He doesn’t think to wonder why
The secretaries pout and preen like cheap tarts in a red light street
But all he ever thinks to do is watch
And every so called meeting with his so called superior
Is a humiliating kick in the crotch
Many miles away
Something crawls to the surface
Of a dark scottish loch

Another working day has ended
Only the rush hour hell to face
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes
Contestants in a suicidal race
Daddy crips the wheel and stares alone into the distance
He knows that something somewhere has to break
He sees the family home now looming in his headlights
The pain upstairs that makes his eyeballs ache
Many miles away
There’s a shadow on the door
Of a cottage on the shore
Of a dark scottish lake

Many miles away
Many miles away
Many miles away
Many miles away
Many miles away..."

[WoofDog123]

"with a rapacious China unreasonably demanding an ever greater, disproportionate share of energy resources throughout the Pacific and around the globe."

Well, I agree with pretty much everything you said, but how can a 'rapacious' country that is 1/5 or so of the world population be considering to be "unreasonably' wanting a 'disproportionate' share? Hyperbole detracts from your other points

better to be direct and just call it a competition for resources with limited extraction capacity where the opponent is growing quickly and demanding more, and there isn't enough to go around.

[Bald Eagle777]

You can never use too much hyperbole when dealing with the present ChiCom threat! : )

I really do regard China's behavior as totally rapacious, as they are completely blinded by their insatiable appetite for energy, driven onward by forces which they cannot see or control, let alone understand. They are like a blind man being driven by sheets of wind-swept rain in a furious hurricane of their own making. They greedily grope for energy and other resources and walk the Earth as Cain heeding not the consequences of their actions. Look at the Chinese notion of "fishing rights." They extend beyond their sphere using modern fishing technology and in fact end up stealing from their weaker neighbors. Their supreme disregard extends in to other areas as well (industrial espionage, oil rights, etc).

As to the ratios and percentages, with the unbridled, uncontrolled growth that they are experiencing, their share is expanding geometrically, and this will definitely have detrimental effects on others "at the table." If this were a civilized dinner engagement, they would be grabbing the whole turkey or roast, all the stuffing and the carrots and all the accoutrements.

Due to the finite nature of resources (basically its coming down to a zero sum game), yes, we have serious competition for resources on our hands. How this unfolding saga of Historic significance is depicted or characterized is up for grabs!

Give it your best shot, paint with your favorite oils! Yes, they have legitimate energy needs, but the way in which they have behaved and maintained their outrageous, false claims on "disputed" lands is unacceptable.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. They are arming themselves to the teeth. The serpent is getting ready to bite.

We can debate as to how to interpret their actions and motives, fine with me. Regardless of how we each view the China issue, let’s keep a close eye on this issue as history unfolds and facts can be reviewed and debated. If I’m wrong, that’s fine with me. I would rather not see China pursue its State interests “by other means” (a la Clauswitz) as that could get ugly pretty quickly.

I think we can both agree it would be best for all concerned if China could just behave itself and dropped all specious claims on their neighbors land and resources. If you see evidence of them backing off, please ping me w/any info. I will definitely look at at.

[Bald Eagle777]

Duh, corr: look "at it"

Haste makes waste

[Bald Eagle777]

Also, if you come across any news, articles, or emerging economic data on Chinese oil imports and oil and energy Research & Development in any country whatsoever, please ping me on that data. I will look at any info. you pass along. Ditto anything RE: any weapons deals they get from the EU, Russia etc

Appreciated, thanks !

[WoofDog123]

"We can debate as to how to interpret their actions and motives, fine with me. Regardless of how we each view the China issue, let’s keep a close eye on this issue as history unfolds and facts can be reviewed and debated. If I’m wrong, that’s fine with me. I would rather not see China pursue its State interests “by other means” (a la Clauswitz) as that could get ugly pretty quickly."

I tend to agree with you, I think. Their star is rising, and the United States is the ONLY power that can face them down at present in conventional terms (obviously several of their adversaries are nuclear), and in spite of this the US is exporting its manufacturing base to the same country that is its only likely rival in the next 10 years for superpower status. To me this strategy is suicidal, and the only derailment I could envision would be separatists tendencies in China resulting is a breakup, something I don't forsee nor predict.

This is a case of the needs of the multinationals (GE et al) totally taking priority over the long-term needs of the citizens of the US.

[Bald Eagle777]

I think we're generally in agreement. At the very least, China is a competitor for resources and that could very well lead to military conflict should any number of simmering issues explode (Taiwan; Saudi and other oil deals; disputed islands; industrial espionage; subs prowling near Guam and other areas and many other items).

I think it is totally insane that we send jobs, factories, capital and technology to them. It will come back to bite us 'if' they ever attack us. They are on radar as being a Very Big Problem for us down the line and it is illogical as to why we tolerate any of their BS. We rolled over on the Hainan island EP-3 incident, for example, when we should have gone totally Ape S#$t on them. Go figure.

Let's hope that their oil imports decline by 150% so China doesn't look with longing at the Middle East, otherwise we will have a pretty big battle to fight in the Middle East some day.