Published on December 8, 2019.
This chapter introduces Yoshihiko Yamada’s essay “The Sea of Japan in a Rapidly Changing Crisis,” published in the monthly magazine WiLL.
It discusses China’s maritime expansion strategy, the First and Second Island Chains, the militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea, Chinese Coast Guard activities around the Senkaku Islands, the relationship between Ryukyu independence advocates and the Chinese Communist Party, unauthorized marine surveys in Japan’s EEZ, and threats from South Korea, Russia, and North Korea around the Sea of Japan.

December 8, 2019.
The group of scholars calling for Ryukyu independence has close ties with the Chinese Communist Party, including participation in seminars inside China.
The following is from an essay by Mr. Yoshihiko Yamada, published in this month’s issue of the monthly magazine WiLL under the title “The Sea of Japan in a Rapidly Changing Crisis.”
Mr. Yoshihiko Yamada is also one of Japan’s precious genuine scholars.
The emphasis in the text is mine.
North Korea’s ballistic missile launches toward the Sea of Japan are an expression of its will to place the Sea of Japan under its control.
China’s plan for maritime expansion.
How many Japanese people know the current situation surrounding Japan’s “seas”?
The situation of the seas surrounding Japan has become critical.
A nation cannot choose its neighbors.
Nor will the international community protect our country from the threats and invasions of neighboring countries.
By merely clinging to the military power of other countries and to international law, Japan cannot protect its peace or the safety of its people’s lives.
The most troublesome neighbor is probably China, which is plotting to seize the Senkaku Islands, an inherent territory of our country.
China aims to acquire control of the East China Sea, using the Senkaku Islands as its base point, and also aims to control the Okinawa Islands, the gateway to the northwestern Pacific.
The group of scholars calling for Ryukyu independence has close ties with the Chinese Communist Party, including participation in seminars inside China.
China’s plan for maritime expansion, formulated under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership in the 1980s, has been passed down continuously.
The plan to place under China’s control the inside of the line known as the First Island Chain, connecting the Okinawa Islands, Taiwan, the Philippines, and other areas, has advanced greatly through the construction of artificial islands that serve as military bases in the South China Sea.
The artificial islands built on the reefs of Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef, and Subi Reef have already advanced in airport and port development, and have become military cities, including the formation of bases for anti-ship missiles.
Furthermore, China’s plan to exert influence over the line it calls the Second Island Chain, connecting the Ogasawara Islands, Pacific island nations, and Papua New Guinea, involves dangling economic aid before island nations that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, demanding that they break relations with Taiwan, promoting the establishment of diplomatic relations with China, and making blatant economic advances in order to penetrate society with its influence.
In 2019, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati successively severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China.
Already in the Solomon Islands, a Chinese company has concluded a contract to lease one island for 75 years, supposedly to create a special economic zone.
Unauthorized marine surveys.
In the waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, four patrol vessels of the China Coast Guard routinely sail, and they also intrude into our territorial waters about three times a month.
Since 2012, when the Democratic Party administration, in response to Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara’s announcement that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government planned to purchase the Senkaku Islands, proceeded without any future outlook to nationalize Uotsuri Island, Kitakojima, and Minamikojima of the Senkaku Islands, the situation has steadily worsened.
At present, the Japan Coast Guard has deployed a dedicated Senkaku Islands unit of about 600 personnel and maintains a state of strict vigilance, but the reality is that the China Coast Guard patrol vessels intruding into the waters are larger in scale.
On Uotsuri Island of the Senkaku Islands, there is a lighthouse built in 1978 by Nihon Seinensha, which was transferred to the Japanese government in 2005 and is managed by the Japan Coast Guard.
However, the range of this lighthouse’s light is only 5.5 nautical miles, about 10.2 kilometers, and it cannot even illuminate the entire territorial sea.
Although it is listed on nautical charts, this simple tower-style lighthouse is far too poor as a light demonstrating Japan’s sovereignty and administrative authority.
By distributing to the world through the media images of patrol vessels on guard around the Senkaku Islands and of large fishing fleets operating in the surrounding area, China is manipulating impressions to suggest that the Senkaku Islands are not under Japanese administration.
The scope of application of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty is, under Article 5, conditional on being “under the administration of Japan.”
China’s intrusions into the waters around the Senkaku Islands are also intended to restrain the movement of the United States, and beyond that, the annexation of Taiwan appears to be in view.
Japan must urgently and clearly show the international community that the Senkaku Islands are under Japanese administration.
It will be necessary for the Japanese government, as a responsibility of the state, to create a system devoted to securing safety and protecting the environment in the surrounding waters, including rebuilding the lighthouse, and to appeal this to the world.
In addition, Chinese survey vessels are conducting unauthorized marine surveys in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, or EEZ.
This is a violation of international law, but because Japan has no law to punish improper marine surveys, it has stopped at issuing warnings.
Japan’s seabed resources could be stolen.
A challenge to Japan.
Moreover, dealing with the neighboring countries across the Sea of Japan is a source of trouble not only for the Japanese government but for the entire Japanese people.
There is South Korea, which seized Takeshima and further makes unreasonable demands on Japan without observing international agreements or treaties.
There is Russia, which seeks the conclusion of a Japan-Russia peace treaty while ignoring demands for the return of the Northern Territories it occupies.
And there is North Korea, which evades the issue of the abductees and continues many disturbing actions, including missile launches.
In particular, North Korea’s provocative activities toward Japan know no bounds.
Since 2016, North Korea has frequently conducted nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.
In response to these provocative acts by North Korea against the international community, the United Nations Security Council adopted sanctions resolutions, restricting exports to North Korea of fuel and other items, as well as exports from North Korea of coal and marine products.
However, North Korea continues nuclear development and ballistic missile launch tests as if ignoring the U.N. resolutions.
Many of the ballistic missiles launched by North Korea in 2019 were short-range types falling into the Sea of Japan, and their hypothetical targets are South Korea and Japan.
However, U.S. President Trump, who has played a leading role in Asian security, appears to be losing interest in the East Asian security system, making statements that tolerate the launches on the grounds that he does not feel threatened because the missiles launched by North Korea have short flight distances.
Moreover, the Moon Jae-in administration of South Korea, which should inherently feel the North Korean threat most strongly, is still intoxicated by the illusion of North-South reconciliation and is averting its eyes from the approaching crisis.
Amid such an international situation, shortly after 7 a.m. on October 2, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles from its east coast, and one of them fell inside Japan’s EEZ off Shimane Prefecture.
This sea area is one where Japanese fishing boats operate, and it was an extremely dangerous situation for Japan.
The North Korean government also announced that it had succeeded in launching a missile from a submarine.
These are challenges to Japan and expressions of its will to place the Sea of Japan under its control.
This essay continues.