Implications for the Future
The close relationship that has been created between the United States and Japan have not only illustrated a monumental feat in history but also established a connection that has developed military and political ties which have been shown today to make foreign policy difficult for both countries in the wake of several compromising events that have had the potential to jeopardize diplomatic relations.
In the Media . . .
The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands disputes
In Asia, and especially in China, demand for power and fuel is fast outstripping supply. Meanwhile, advances in deepwater drilling technology have put offshore oil and gas resources within reach for the first time. The result of all this, is a "race to assert control over energy resources in disputed territories before they are developed by a rival." According to Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, the Northeast Asia director of the International Crisis Group, which studies conflict hot spots.
Last spring China began drilling in deep water in the South China Sea—aggravating Vietnam, the Philippines, and other nations that have competing territorial claims.
Lately, however, the focal point has been in the East China Sea, along a disputed maritime boundary between China and Japan. In September, outrage at Japanese control of the Senkaku Islands (known to the Chinese as the Diaoyu) erupted in violent protests across China; Japanese factories and auto showrooms were looted and burned.
Last spring China began drilling in deep water in the South China Sea—aggravating Vietnam, the Philippines, and other nations that have competing territorial claims.
Lately, however, the focal point has been in the East China Sea, along a disputed maritime boundary between China and Japan. In September, outrage at Japanese control of the Senkaku Islands (known to the Chinese as the Diaoyu) erupted in violent protests across China; Japanese factories and auto showrooms were looted and burned.
"The eight uninhabited islands, covering 7 square kilometers in all (2.7 square miles), already are part of Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture. But until this year several of the islands were owned privately by a single family. To forestall Ishihara's gambit and avoid antagonizing China, the Japanese government announced in September that it had purchased those islands for about $30 million and would not develop them. Instead of mollifying the Chinese, the move only inflamed them."
Tensions between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands have brought Japanese-American relations to the forefront. Questions and concerns have risen over what the United States would do an the event that China or Japan use force in order to defend their perceived rights to the island.
China
Island disputes aside, China has without a doubt become increasingly become a powerful force to reckon with in Asia. In recent attempts to demonstrate their desires to become a greater naval power, former President of the People's Republic of China has openly stated that: "We should enhance our capacity for exploiting marine resources, resolutely safeguard China's maritime rights and interests, and build China into a maritime power", which has caused great concern in East Asia and particularly in Japan. In addition, China has also enacted a recent policy that would allow it to board vessels in what it regards as its territorial waters.
Problems on U.S. Military Bases
There is a heavy concentration of military bases in Okinawa, a mark of its legacies as an ideal strategic location that began almost three decades ago under the United States' control after World War II.
Bases such as Futenma, by far the most controversial base, draws complaints about noise pollution, accidents, and crime.
With Japan's calls for greater control over their own defenses, cases such as the most recent allegations of rape on an Okinawa base represent just one of the many instances over the decades in which the United States military has had a presence in Japan that has caused diplomatic instability and tension. In response to the arrests of the two U.S. soldiers charged with rape, The United States military imposed a curfew on Friday on all of its nearly 50,000 uniformed personnel stationed in Japan, as it tried to respond to public outrage over reports of the rape of a woman on Okinawa by two American sailors.
Today, the debate over the removal or at least reduction in number of U.S. bases has been a hotly discussed amid mass protests in Japan.
Bases such as Futenma, by far the most controversial base, draws complaints about noise pollution, accidents, and crime.
With Japan's calls for greater control over their own defenses, cases such as the most recent allegations of rape on an Okinawa base represent just one of the many instances over the decades in which the United States military has had a presence in Japan that has caused diplomatic instability and tension. In response to the arrests of the two U.S. soldiers charged with rape, The United States military imposed a curfew on Friday on all of its nearly 50,000 uniformed personnel stationed in Japan, as it tried to respond to public outrage over reports of the rape of a woman on Okinawa by two American sailors.
Today, the debate over the removal or at least reduction in number of U.S. bases has been a hotly discussed amid mass protests in Japan.
Sources cited in their respective orders:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/10/121026-east-china-sea-dispute/
http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2012/08/19/1226453/477047-120819-senkaku.jpg
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443624204578061123238744286.html
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http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gSuWBmTVzdio0juIr69c2q7lg6AA?docId=CNG.8e1c76d13eb3e156970b0caa3715bfa5.01http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8279442449_d492b6086f_z.jpg
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http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0515/As-Okinawa-marks-40-years-of-postwar-sovereignty-US-bases-still-an-irritant
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443624204578061123238744286.html