Japan and China Brace for Confrontation in East China Sea

Japan and China may face a serious conflict in the East China Sea. A Chinese ship came close to a Japanese research vessel in a disputable zone and demanded to stop studying the sea bottom in the Chinese territorial waters. Japan responded to Beijing with a strong protest.

Sharp exchange of diplomatic notes was not the end of the story. Another Beijing's demand to Tokyo to stop marine research was met by the Japan Cabinet's order broadening powers of the coast guard. Presently Japanese ships are entitled to make arrests of suspicious foreign ships in their territorial waters and investigate property damage at remote islands.

Within the last year Chinese ships came dangerously close to Japanese research vessels four times, threatening collision in the East China Sea. Now the coast guard assistance to Japanese ships would be quite legal. Besides, there is no clear cut division of economic zones between the countries. Viktor Pavliatenko, a Far East Institute analyst, comments:

"Japan takes steps to strengthen the zone in the Okinawa prefecture. Japan deploys there additional self-defense units and builds new bases for coast guard ships to make protection of Senkaku islands stronger."

The islands' (Diaoyu in Chinese) shelf is rich with oil and gas. So the territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo is very much about the access to new sources of energy. Sometimes the countries even indulge in one-sided actions. For instance, a Chinese oil and gas company has been developing a sea gas-bearing area Chunxiao (Shirakaba in Japanese), contested by Japan. The Japanese side maintains that drilling has been going on at the field.

Japan protests made China suspend gas production in the area in 2008. The sides signed an agreement on mutual gas field development. The document says, in particular, that Japanese companies would make investments into gas production projects. Mutual development particulars were still underway, but China cut its consultations short. It happened in summer 2010 following the arrest of a Chinese trawler captain by the Japanese side.

Later China boosted activity to transport equipment to the fields. Beijing and Tokyo have been holding consultations, but in a passive way. They are periodically recalled when one of the sides sharply reminds to the other of its right to conduct independent shelf development in the disputable zone.

In March Japan plans to make yet another step to support its claims to disputable territories in the East China Sea. It intends to provide 39 disputable islands near Senkanu (Diaoyu) with Japanese names, and include them in Japanese administrative units. The Japanese government decision has been rigorously criticized by China. Obviously Beijing would not leave unattended any action on the Tokyo side related to the argument.