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Voice of Russia: 2012 Recap: Battles for islands
Anastasiya Pershkina
Dec 25, 2012 12:13 Moscow Time
Anastasiya Pershkina
Dec 25, 2012 12:13 Moscow Time
2012 has become the peak of many territorial conflicts. It is true that it is still a long way to go to reach reconciliation between some countries but at least it is clear what the countries are arguing about. The basis of every conflict is the economy and fighting for mineral resources.
Japan turned out in the centre of all territorial disputes in 2012. It is constantly trying to claim rights on the islands of neighbouring countries.
If it had achieved at least one positive result Japan would have established a precedent for solving all other conflicts. Until recently it was believed that the reason for arguing was Japans complex of an insular country and its appreciation of any spot of land. Japan and South Korea have been arguing about several small islands in the western part of the Sea of Japan for 50 years. The islands are called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan. At present they are under South Koreas control. Unlike on the Russian South Kuril Islands, it is practically impossible to live on those islands, they are too small. The countries are actually arguing about the sea around the islands, rather than about 187 sq.m. of land, Konstantin Asmolov from the Institute of the Far East at the Russian Academy of Sciences says.
According to international law, any piece of rock sticking out of the water is not just a piece of rock but also 200 miles of an exclusive economic zone, which is an offshore area, fishing and a lot of other things.
The worst conflict of 2012 was Japans fight with China for the islands of Diaoyu or Senkaku, as the Japanese call them. In September the Japanese government bought three out of five islands from their private owner. China demanded cancellation of that agreement and sent four patrol ships to the archipelago. Japan opposed those activities threatening to use force. The tension is explained by the fact that a natural gas field is located near the Senkaku Islands, Deputy Director of the Centre for Economic and Social Research of China at the Institute of the Far East at the Russian Academy of Sciences Pavel Kamennov says.
Four or five years ago those countries made an attempt to come to an agreement before the settlement of their conflict, to start economic cooperation in that area. However, the problem was where to draw a demarcation line in the gas field, so the conflict about the Senkaku-Diaoyu Islands remains unsettled.
The conflict has had a negative effect on the economies of both countries. In September there was a wave of anti-Japan protests in China. Japanese car-making companies have to bear the brunt of the conflict. In the autumn of 2012 the sales of Japanese cars, such as Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Nissan dropped approximately twofold.
As for Russia and the South Kuril Islands, Japan continues the conflict only on the diplomatic arena. The WW2 peace treaty between the two countries has not been signed yet due to this territorial dispute. In July, after President Medvedev visited the Kuril Islands, Japan started to demand a return of the islands again. Moscow refused quite reasonably. For Russia, just like for Japan, sovereignty over the islands is not just a matter of honour. Unique deposits of indium, hafnium, selenium and tellurium have been found around the islands, and these are metals that are the main resource for green technologies.
