Context:
Amid the rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, Japan Coast Guard (JCG) source recently revealed that a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel has been navigating in Japan’s territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands.
Relevance:
Places in News
Senkaku Islands
- The Senkaku Islands are a group of uninhabited islands located in the East China Sea.
- They are situated approximately 90 nautical miles north of the Yaeyama Islands in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture and 120 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan.
- The islands are known as the Diaoyu Islands in Mainland China, the Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, and the Pinnacle Islands by other observers.
- The group of islands includes Uotsuri Island, Kuba Island, Taisho Island (also called Kumeakashima Island), Kitakojima Island, Minamikojima Island, Tobise Island, Okinokitaiwa Island, and Okinominamiiwa Island.
Dispute:
- The Senkaku Islands are at the center of a territorial dispute between Japan and China, as well as between Japan and Taiwan.
- Various countries claim sovereignty over the islands, which has led to tensions in the region.
Administration:
- The islands were never administered by any other country prior to Japan incorporating them into its territory in 1895.
- Currently, Japan administers and exercises control over the Senkaku Islands as part of the city of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture.
-Source: The Print
