Honorary Professor Yabuki Jin of the Yokohama University is a well-known Japanese scholar on China. Recently, regarding the Senkaku Islands crisis, Professor Yabuki Jin wrote a new book. The title of this book is “the Core Issues of Senkaku”, subtitled “What will Happen to Japan-China Relations”. Experts think this book is more impartial, more thorough exposition of Japan and China, and the stance of the United States on Senkaku Islands / Diaoyu Islands dispute. Here are some key points written by others, maybe over-simplified, from the book:

1. Japan’s current position on the Senkaku Islands / Diaoyu Islands issue in several respects is UNTENABLE. The most fundamental point is that JAPAN’S UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE POTSDAM PROCLAMATION – The notice asked Japan to return all stolen Chinese territories back to China.

2. Potsdam Proclamation covers the following scenarios which INVALIDATED the following acts:

a. the annexation of the islands of the Ryukyu Islands and the Senkaku/Diayu Islands in January, 1895 by the Meijin Government;

b. the ceding of Taiwan and the Penhu Islands in the Treaty of Shimonoseki signed by Qing Government and the Meijin Government several months later in 1895.
These islands in the past are clearly part of Taiwan, and that Taiwan continues to use and occupies the islands are all reasonable requests.

3. The main reason Japanese believes Senkaku Islands / Diaoyu Islands are Japanese territory is because in the 1971 Agreement with the United States, Okinawa was returned to Japan. However, this position is inconsistent with the facts that the U.S. only gave the ADMINISTRATIVE jurisdiction of the island, rather than SOVEREIGNTY.

4. Japan’s policy has been based on the ERRONEOUS ASSERTION in the testimony before Congress by Foreign Minister Takeo Fukuda in December 15th, 1971. He said, based on the agreement with the U.S., Okinawa was returned and its sovereignty was restored to Japan. It is not clear, however, whether Fukuda clearly MISUNDERSTOOD this issue, or he DELIBERATELY DECEIVED the Japanese people.

5. Prior to Japan’s implementation of the “nationalization” of the Senkaku Islands / Diaoyu Islands, the position that China’s handling of this territorial issue was based on the consensus reached between Kakuei Prime Minister and Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972 – to “SET ASIDE” and to POSTPONE TO RESOLVE the territory dispute issue.

6. Yabuki Jin invoked the point of view of his own research, and third-party authoritative figures, that in the official record of the meeting that reached the clear understanding and accepted by both Prime Minister Tanaka of Japan and Premier Zhou of China, the transcripts regarding the two sides agreed to “set aside” and to postpone to resolve [the territorial dispute] were DELETED, and that later on, the Japanese government has FRAUDULENTLY claimed that this issue was NOT discussed at the time.

7. Given the above scenarios, the “nationalization” decision made by Noda government is a serious provocation to fundamentally change the status quo. From China’s point of view, such act equals to the aggression and violence to the annexation of Chinese territory. It’s inevitable that China had a strong reaction.