Whose island is it? Territorial Issues in the Pacific

Debra Troxell, NBCTLeslie Martin, NBCT

West Forsyth High School

Identifying National Territory

• Draw a map of the United States -

Reasons to Claim Territories

• Fishing Rights

• Gas and Oil Reserves

• Shipping Lanes

• Nationalism

• Historic tensions (Japanese imperialism)

• Military Strategy

United Nations Convention on the Law

of the Seas (1982)

Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands

• 8 uninhabited islands in the East China Sea

• Ancient times – the Chinese province of Taiwan administered islands of “Diaoyu”

• 1895 – Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan was ceded to Japan; Japan claimed the “Senkaku Islands”

• 1951 – Treaty of San Francisco, Japan renounced the islands; China inquired about the islands but was not invited to the Treaty of San Francisco

Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands

• Renewed Interest:– Apr. 2012 – Tokyo governor planned to use

public money to buy 3 of the islands from a private Japanese owner. The national Japanese government stepped in and purchased

– Nov. 2013 – China announces a new air defense zone; Japan is ignoring it (since Japan doesn’t even recognize there is a dispute)

– Nov. 2014 – Japan and China have opened discussions on the topic

Lesson Ideas

• What happens to land acquired due to Territorial Expansion during imperialism or war?

• At what date/occasion does the map “reset”?

• How does the UNCLOS help determine ownership of uninhabited areas?

South China Sea

• Since 17th Cen. – Vietnam claims to have ruled the Paracels and Spratlys

• 1947 – China released map including the Paracels and Spratlys

• Taiwan, Brunei, Philippines & Malaysia also claim parts of the South China Sea

• Taiwan and Malaysia each claim part of the Spratlys

• Philippines claim the Scarborough Shoals• Brunei claims EEZ but no islands• The Spratlys have natural gas, seafood and oil

South China Sea

• 2014 – China creating new islands with plans to inhabit the new islands

Lesson Ideas

• Should created land be treated differently than existing land?

• Will China inhabiting the newly created islands change the perception of ownership of uninhabited areas?

• Does the presence of natural resources change the procedure?

Dokdo/Takeshima

• Territorial dispute between S. Korea and Japan

• Each country claims islands as early as 17th Century

• S. Korean Dokdo was annexed by Japan in 1905 and S. Korea claims it was rightfully restored after WWII.

• Japan claims the S. Korea illegally claimed the island after the San Francisco Treaty

Dokdo/Takeshima

• Japan has offered to bring the case to the International Court of Justice.

• S. Korea refuses claiming there is no territorial dispute. (Which is the same logic Japan uses regarding Senkaku)

Campaigns

Dokdo is occupied by a Korean couple

Public Campaigns

Lessons

• Kenneth Keller: Dokdo – Developing an Information Based Position using Geodata

• Michael Robinson: This is Our Land

• Kate Trindle: Think Tank Activity: The Dilemma of Dokdo

• Kelly Swanson: Dokdo/Takeshima: Who owns it?

• Doug Andersen: Get a Piece of the R.O.K.

Lesson Ideas

• Examine the post-WWII relationship between S. Korea and Japan.

• What is the International Court of Justice?

• Does the nature of the dispute change because a Korean couple inhabit the Liancourt Rocks?

• Apply the situation to the Crimea.