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{{Expand Japanese|尖閣諸島中国漁船衝突事件|date=November 2010}} |
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{{Expand Chinese|中国渔船与日本巡逻船钓鱼岛相撞事件|date=November 2010}} |
{{Expand Chinese|中国渔船与日本巡逻船钓鱼岛相撞事件|date=November 2010}} |
Revision as of 10:05, 6 May 2011
The 2010 Senkaku Boat Collision Incident (or the Minjinyu 5179 Incident) occurred on the morning of September 7 2010 when a Chinese trawler, Minjinyu 5179, operating in disputed waters collided with Japanese Coast Guard's patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands.[1][2][3] There were several Japanese Coast Guard (often abbreviated JCG) boats involved, including Yonakuni and Mizuki, which collided with Minjinyu 5179, plus Hateruma and other JCG boats.
The collision and Japan's subsequent detention of the skipper (Zhan Qixiong) resulted in a major diplomatic dispute between China and Japan. When China's repeated demands for the release of the skipper were ignored and the detention of the skipper was extended for another 10 days, the Chinese government canceled official meetings of ministrial level and above. It was reported (though China repeatedly denied this) that China halted exports of rare earth minerals to Japan.[4]
The detained Chinese crew members were released without charge and were allowed to return home. The overall event is perceived[by whom?] as a diplomatic victory in China,[5] while it raised a wide-spread criticism toward Japanese government's "weak-kneed" handling of the issue in Japan.[6]
Background
The Senkaku islands are currently administered by Japan and claimed by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China.[7] In 2008 a sports fishing boat from Taiwan Lien Ho was rammed and sunk by JCG patrol ships and resulted in an official apology and monetary compensation of NT$10 millions paid by Japan.[8] Multiple events involving JCG and fishing boats from nearby Chinese provinces and Taiwan were involved since 1972.
Details of the incident
According to JCG, the partol boat Mizuki which belongs to 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters encountered Minjinyu 5179 at about 10:15 (JST) on September 7, 2010. Mizuki ordered Minjinyu 5179 to stop for inspection since Minjinyu 5179 was traveling 12 km (7.45 miles) north-west of the Senkaku Islands, which is within the Japanese claimed territorial waters. Minjinyu 5179 refused the order and attempted to flee from the scene. During the chase and interception, Minjinyu 5179 collided with JCG's patrol vessels. On September 8, 2010, JCG boarded the Chinese trawler and arrested its captain for obstruction of performance of public duty and illegal fishing.[9] The trawler, the captain, and 14 crew members, were transported to Ishigaki Island of Japan[10] for detention. An investigator told the press that he smelt alcohol on the arrested captain[11] but apparently no alcohol test results were ever released.
In response to the arrest, the Chinese government made a series of diplomatic protests, demanding the immediate release of the trawler and all its crew. China summoned Uichiro Niwa, the Japanese ambassador to China in Beijing, six times, each time with an official of higher diplomatic rank, on one occasion after midnight.[12] The trawler and 14 of the crew members (but not the captain, Zhan) were released after the sixth summons on September 13, 2010. The captain of the trawler remained in Japanese detention and was finally released on September 24, 2010.
Chronology of events
- September 7, 2010: A Chinese fishing trawler collided with two Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats in disputed waters near the islands. The collisions occurred around 10am, after the Japanese Coast Guard ordered the trawler to leave the area. After the collisions, Japanese sailors boarded the Chinese vessel and arrested the captain, Zhan Qixiong.[7]
- September 8: Chinese embassy staff member met with Zhan Qixiong.
- September 9: The Ishigaki Maritime Safety Agency charges Zhan Qixiong with interference with a public servant in the execution of his or her duties and sent him to the Ishigaki branch of the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Naha.
- September 10: The Ishigaki branch of the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Naha extends captain Zhan Qixiong's detention.
- September 13: The trawler and 14 crew members were released and returned to China. The captain Zhan Qixiong remained detained in Naha.
- September 16: Seiji Maehara, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, goes to Ishigaki Maritime Safety Agency and inspects the patrol ship's mooring.[13]
- September 19: The summary court of Ishigaki extends captain Zhan Qixiong's detention term by 10 days, from 9/20 to 9/29.
- September 20: China detained 4 Japanese employees of Fujita Corporation for allegedly filming military targets.[14]
- September 22: Chinese premier Wen Jiabao threatened further action if the captain of the Chinese fishing trawler was not released.[15]
- September 24: Japan released the Chinese captain, stating that keeping the captain in custody would not be appropriate and was having a considerable impact on Sino-Japan relations.[16]
- September 25: China demanded an apology and compensation from Japan for holding the Chinese boat captain. Japan rejected this demand.
- September 27: Japan said it would counter-claim against China for damage to its patrol boats in the collision.
- October 6: Joint USA/Japan drill is planned on defending Okinawa in December[17][18] but Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto told the parliament that the joint military exercise does not have the islands specifically in mind.[19]
- October 9: All of the Fujita employees were released by China.[14]
- November 4: Leaked video footage of the collision appeared on YouTube, (uploaded by former user sengoku38).
- November 9: Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office of Japan launched an investigation against Google.[20]
- November 15: Japanese police and prosecutors announced that they would not arrest anyone for the YouTube incident.[21]
Response in Japan
Government and DPJ
The Japanese government claims that there is no territorial dispute over the Senkaku islands. On September 14, 2010, then-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Seiji Maehara repeatedly asserted this standpoint.[22]
Protests
On October 2, 2010, Large scale anti-Chinese protests occurred in Tokyo and six other cities in Japan.[23][24]
On November 6, an anti-Chinese demonstration was held in Hibiya Park.[25]
Response in China
Beijing
- September 8, 2010, Mainland Chinese non-governmental fisherman groups took the streets of Beijing (北京) in protest, including a major protest outside the Japanese embassy. Chinese patriotism and anti-Japanese sentiment were evident amongst protestors who waved Chinese flags and sang the national anthem while holding placards demanding that the Japanese withdraw from the islands. A letter of protest was left with Japanese embassy staff along with an ancient Chinese styled copper sheet (青铜挂/青銅挂) used to send off a dead person's spirit (送终/送終), as a death wish.[26]
- On September 18, dozens of individuals wearing the increasing popular "Oppose Japan" (反日) shirts held a protest around the Japanese embassy, demanding Japanese withdrawal from the islands and waving maps of China that included the islands as Chinese territories and chanted 'China forever' (lit. "China ten thousand years"/中国万岁/中国万岁). The protesters posed a much larger danger to the embassy and local police were reinforced to 2-3 times the previous levels. Requests by the police, who were in riot gear, for the protesters to depart were largely unheeded. The embassy instead locked down and police closed off neighbouring streets to limit the increase of protesters and the possibility of chaos.[27]
Tianjin
- On September 12, 2010 a Japanese private school in Tianjin (天津), China, was slightly vandalised prompting police to increase police presence in Japanese schools, as well as cultural facilities, throughout China. Schools in Tianjin and Beijing (two neighbouring cities) were suspended until September 18.[28]
Shanghai
- Protests lasted for much of the period September 8–18, 2010 outside the Japanese consulate in Shanghai (上海), several signed petitions and letters of protest were submitted to consulate staff.[29]
Other places in Mainland China
- Notable protests took place throughout the rest of China requiring extra police deployment and provisional security measures around Japanese businesses or cultural centres. Additionally, due to the large participation in protests by high school and university student, most schools arranged for extra mandatory Saturday lessons to ensure students were not on the streets protesting. Cities with protesters in excess of 3000 and as high as 10,000 included: Chongqing (重庆/重慶), Shenyang (沈阳/沈陽),[29] Changsha (长沙/長沙), Xi'an (西安), Zhengzhou (郑州/鄭州), Wuhan (武汉/武漢), Fujian (福建), Mianyang (绵阳/綿陽) and Deyang (德阳/德陽).[29][30][30][31][32][33]
Response in Hong Kong
- September 13, 2010, Hong Kong fishermen protest outside of the Japanese consulate to China in Central, Hong Kong. Protestors burned Japanese flags and chanted slogans, particularly Japan get out of Diaoyu Islands! (日本滚出钓鱼岛!). In a more official manner representatives from Hong Kong's political parties spoke to consulate officials requesting a swift release of the detained fishermen.[34]
- On September 18, the consulate was once again surrounded and protesters wished to pass a notice of protest, however as it was a Saturday, the majority of the consular staff were not present and so the protesters did not receive a response. The protesters then turned to burning the objects in protest. In the northern Sha Tin district citizens gathered and burned Japanese flags and products too.[32]
Response in Taiwan
On September 14, 2010, a rally was held in front of the Japanese Interchange Association in Taipei. The protesters threw fish and burned Japanese flags to voice their anger.[35]
Response in other countries
United States
On September 23, 2010, United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara that Senkaku and nearby waters are covered by the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan which obligates the United States to defend Japanese territory from third-party countries,[36] and maintained USA does not have a position regarding the sovereignty of the islands. At the press conference held on the same day, United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke regarding the dispute that in the event of military conflict on the Senkaku islands, "Washington would honor its military commitment to intervene".[37] When a reporter posed the same question, to clarify an earlier Kyodo report that "US changed its position", similar statements were said during a US State Department Press Conference a month ago on August 16, 2010, "The U.S. position on this issue is longstanding and has not changed. The United States does not take a position on the question of the ultimate sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands. We expect the claimants to resolve this issue through peaceful means among themselves. But Article 5 of the 1960 U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security states that the treaty applies to the territories under the administration of Japan. There's no change. That (Kyodo) report is incorrect."[38]
At the press conference on September 23, 2010, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley stated in response to a question whether Senkaku islands are covered by the security treat that "We do believe that because the Senkaku Islands are under Japanese jurisdiction, that it is covered by the U.S.-Japan security treaty. That said, we also stress that we don't take a position on the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands, but recognize current Japanese jurisdiction stemming back to the reversion of Okinawa to Japan."[39]
Video of incident
Internal circulation
The Japanese government was unwilling to release the videos, originally stating that the videos may constitute evidence in a future court case. Trying to avoid further provoking China was another reason cited for not releasing the videos. Upon repeated demands from legislators in the Diet from some members of various parties (DPJ and LDP included), a viewing was finally arranged on November 1, 2010. During the viewing, only an edited version of 6'50" duration was seen.[40]
The leak
On November 4, 2010, video footage of the collisions taken by the Japan Coast Guard was leaked on YouTube, and authorities later confirmed authenticity of the video clips.[41][42] The leaked clips totaled 44 minutes,[41] but were taken down about ten hours later with the original poster sengoku38's account deleted. However, the original video is said to run more than two hours.[43] This is supported by the fact that in some of the videos other crew members were also holding video cameras doing recordings.
It was later revealed that the leak was done by a Japan Coast Guard Navigator from the Kobe Coast Guard Office. He first sent a memory card with a copy of the footage of the incident to the offices of CNN in Japan, then when CNN did not post the contents of the memory card he uploaded the video to YouTube.[44]
Reactions to the leak and the video clips
The Japanese government views the leak as a breach of confidentiality and security. Contrary to Naoto Kan government's claim/fear that releasing the video might upset China, the Chinese government does not seem to mind the leak, stating that "The so-called video can neither change the facts nor cover up Japan's crime.".[45] A few hours later, China Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei said, "I would like to reiterate that the Japanese patrol boats had disturbed, driven away, intercepted and surrounded the Chinese fishing boat, which led to the collision."[46][47][48]
Meanwhile both Japanese civilians and Chinese civilians and media[49] in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan welcomed the leak citing their right to know. Each group viewed the content of the video as presenting evidence favorable to their own cause in the dispute.[50] Japanese claim the videos show Minjinyu 5179 rammed into JCG boats Yonakuni and Mizuki. Chinese claim that the two JCG boats cut in front of the Chinese trawler abruptly and are equally responsible for the collision, citing the much smaller size and slower speed of the Minjinyu 5179 and the wake of the JCG boats left in front of Minjinyu 5179.
Although YouTube is blocked inside mainland China, the videos were quickly reproduced on many Chinese websites.
Links to the leaked video clips
Original Posted Name | Duration of clip | Taken by | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
本当の尖閣 海上保安庁1 | 7'30" | Yonakuni, a Hateruma class patrol vessel | |
尖閣の真実 海上保安庁2 | 8'9" | JCG tried to order Minjinyu to stop | |
尖閣侵略の真実 海上保安庁3 | 11'21" | ||
本当の尖閣 海上保安庁4 | 11'24" | first collision with Yonakuni | |
日本の尖閣 海上保安庁5 | 3'33" | Mizuki, a Bizan class patrol vessel | second collision with Mizuki |
どうなる尖閣 海上保安庁6 | 2'29" | Hateruma, a Hateruma class patrol vessel | second collision with Mizuki, viewed by afar |
- 1. Japan Coast Guard orders the fishing boat to stop on YouTube
- 2. Chinese trawler Minjinyu5179 pulls back round haul nets on YouTube
- 3. Chinese trawler Minjinyu5179 attempts to evade on YouTube
- 4. Chinese trawler Minjinyu5179 collides with JCG's patrol vessel Yonakuni at 2:11, video taken by Yonakuni on YouTube
- 5. Chinese trawler Minjinyu5179 collides again with another JCG's vessel Mizuki at 1:10, video taken by Mizuki on YouTube, Chinese trawler Minjinyu5179 collides with Mizuki video with English subtitles on YouTube
- 6. Mizuki-Minjinyu5179 Collision captured from a different angle by JCG boat Hateruma at a distance on YouTube
See also
References
- ^ "尖閣沖衝突、中国漁船船長を送検 違法操業立件も". The Ryukyu Shimpo. Retrieved 2011-03-08.Template:Ja icon
- ^ "中国漁船、巡視船と接触し逃走…尖閣諸島近海". Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 2011-03-08.Template:Ja icon
- ^ "Senkaku collisions video leak riles China". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ^ "China rare earth exports to Japan still halted". Associated Press. October 21, 2010.
- ^ "China signals V for victory". Asia Times. October 5, 2010.
- ^ "Kan seeks intl stage for Senkaku spat solution". The Yomiuri Shimbun. Semptember 29, 2010.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ a b "High-seas collisions trigger Japan-China spat". AFP. September 7, 2010.
- ^ Asiatimes
- ^ "Japan's arrest of captain angers Beijing". Financial Times. September 8, 2010.
- ^ "尖閣諸島近海 海保巡視船に接触の中国人船長を逮捕 石垣島". Sankei Shimbun. September 8, 2010.
- ^ "尖閣ビデオ内容判明 中国漁船、加速して衝突 「故意」裏付け 船長は飲酒か". Sankei Shimbun. October 28, 2010.
- ^ "China demands compensation over captured sailor". ABC News. September 26, 2010.
- ^ "国交相、漁船と衝突の巡視船視察 衝突は「強い衝撃と認識」". 47NEWS. 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ a b http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-17/china-wants-to-mend-ties-with-japanese-after-protest.html
- ^ Yahoo News. "http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100922/ap_on_re_as/as_china_japan_ships_collide" Article. Retrieved on 2010-09-22.
- ^ Japan to free Chinese boat captain.
- ^ Taiwan probing report on U.S.-Japan joint exercise over Tiaoyutai
- ^ Japan gov't support slides on handling of China row The China Post of Taiwan, 5 October 2010
- ^ Sankei
- ^ Coast guard probed over video leak
- ^ "Looking less like a secret". The Japan Times. November 18, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ "Resolving the China-Japan Conflict Over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands". Japan Focus.
- ^ "Tokyo Protests Blast China's Response to Collision". THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ^ "China accused of invading disputed islands". CNN. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ^ "Japan protesters rally over China, Kan as APEC looms". Reuters. November 6, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ "民间保钓人士在日驻华使馆前抗议 酝酿赴钓鱼岛". 凤凰网.
- ^ "北京日使馆外 大批市民聚集抗议". 联合早报网.
- ^ "北京日本人學校運動會延期". 明報. 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ a b c "上海沈阳等地都出现反日示威". 联合早报网.
- ^ a b "中国政府打压民间保钓". 美国之音. 2010年9月15日.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "重庆2000余名市民聚会步行街高唱抗日歌曲". 凤凰网.
- ^ a b ""9·18"事件79周年 中国多处出现反日示威". 联合早报网.
- ^ "四川反日示威爆警民衝突". 太陽報. 2010-10-24. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
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(help) - ^ "香港保钓人士发起游行 焚烧日旗表达抗议". 凤凰网.
- ^ "Protesters burn Japanese flags in disputed islands rally".
- ^ "Tokyo, Beijing ties are still vulnerable". The Asahi Simbun. November 1, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. Supports Japan, Confronts China And Russia Over Island Disputes". Eurasis Review. November 4, 2010.
- ^ "Remarks to the Press August 16". U.S. Department of States.
- ^ "Remarks to the Press September 23". U.S. Department of States.
- ^ "Diet panels view Senkaku run-in video". Japan Times. November 2, 2010 (EST).
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ a b "HVideo of China-Japan ship collision leaked on YouTube". AFP. November 4, 2010 (EST).
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "尖閣の衝突画像、ネット流出=海保が確認、国会提出分以外も". Jiji Press. November 5, 2010.
- ^ "Diet panels view Senkaku run-in video, fault trawler". The Japan Times. Nov. 2, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "JCG officer 'mailed Senkaku video to CNN'". Yomiuri Shimbun. Nov. 26, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ China News Headlines | Hong Kong's premier newspaper online | SCMP.com
- ^ "Xinhua report".
- ^ "Strait Times". Nov 6 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "Global Times report".
- ^ "Press clippings and translation".
- ^ "Video clippings and analysis".