The Japanese government has agreed to buy several privately owned islands in the East China Sea that are controlled by Japan, but also claimed by China and Taiwan, media reports said yesterday.
The government has agreed to buy three of the five main islands, called the Senkakus in Japanese and Diaoyutais (釣魚台) in Chinese, from the Kurihara family for ¥2.05 billion (US$26 million), Kyodo News agency and the Yomiuri and Asahi newspapers reported, citing anonymous sources.
A Japanese government official declined to confirm the deal and said negotiations were continuing.
Photo: AFP
Tensions over the islands have flared since April, when Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara announced a plan for the city government to raise money to buy the islands so that they would not be vulnerable to purchase by a third party such as China.
Last weekend, Tokyo sent a team of experts to waters around the islands to survey fishing grounds and possible sites for development — although the central government forbade the expedition from setting foot on the islands.
China responded by calling the reported purchase “illegal and invalid.”
“For them to nationalize the Diaoyu Islands seriously violates China’s sovereignty and hurts the Chinese people’s feelings,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊) told reporters at a regular press briefing.
“I stress again that any of their unilateral acts with the Diaoyu islands are illegal and invalid. China’s determination will not change in terms of safeguarding its territory. China is observing the situation and will take necessary measures to defend its sovereignty,” Hong said.
While the move would clearly anger China, media reports said that the purchase is intended more as a means of squelching Ishihara’s more inflammatory proposal, which includes development plans. The islands are near key sea lanes and surrounded by rich fishing grounds and untapped natural resources.
No development would take place under the national plan, the reports said.
The media reports said funding for the purchase would require Cabinet approval, something likely to happen in the next week or two. They said the final deal could be closed by the end of the month.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said the government and owner are still talking and he would not comment on details about the discussion.
“We are negotiating with the owner while we try to grasp where the situation stands between [the central government] and the Tokyo metropolitan government,” Fujimura said.
He said the government would make an announcement “when we reach a result after completing the process.”
Phone calls to a member of the Kurihara family and business went unanswered.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft