The Chatham Islands are likely to receive a meat processing plant to beat the extreme cost of exporting livestock to the mainland.

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Chatham Islands meat processing plant likely

(Reuters) - With world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, China has taken its dispute with Japan over the ownership of a chain of islands to the ad pages of major American newspapers. China Daily, an organ of the Communist Party and the country's official English-language daily newspaper, took out full-page-spread advertisements on Friday in the New York Times ...

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China takes islands dispute with Japan to pages of U.S. newspapers

To China, Japan's move to "nationalise" the uninhabited Diaoyu/Senkaku islands at the centre of an increasingly heated tussle between them is akin to someone seizing possession of something whose legal ownership is still being disputed.

One party's action is sure to trigger a reaction from the other. It did.

Now, for the first time, China is challenging Japan's sovereignty over a group of islands which used to be called Ryukyu islands and which now make up Okinawa prefecture.

Like the Diaoyu islands, the Ryukyus also lie in the East China Sea, between Japan's Kyushu island and Taiwan.

On September 14, a commentary in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily asserted that "even the Ryukyu islands do not belong to Japan, under international laws governing the post-World War II order".

The Ryukyu islands came under the United States' civil administration from 1945 until 1972, when the Americans handed over control to the Japanese.

The PLA Daily's commentary stopped short of saying that the Ryukyus belong to China. But Chinese historical records would appear to support such a claim.

The earliest records of the Ryukyu islands can be found in the Book of Sui, written in AD621 to record the history of the Sui Dynasty (AD581-617). The Ryukyus used to be a tributary state of China. The name Ryukyu, in fact, originates from Liuqiu, also spelt Liuchiu and Lewchew, a name the Chinese gave to the islands.

Ryukyu historical records showed that from 1383 onwards, its kings derived their mandate to rule the islands from the Chinese emperor. This continued for nearly five centuries until 1879, when Japan annexed the islands and called them Okinawa prefecture.

This is well documented in historical records, which is why when the US-led Allied powers held discussions on "restoring territories", referring to Chinese territories that Japan had taken by force, both the Ryukyus and Taiwan were included.

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History is on China's side in islands dispute

The Chinese foreign minister tells the UN General Assembly that Japan 'stole' the disputed islands from China.

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China accuses Japan of stealing islands

28 September 2012 Last updated at 00:09 ET

A war of words over islands claimed by both Japan and China continued at the United Nations, as the US called for cooler heads to prevail.

In a speech, China's foreign minister accused Japan of stealing the islands, which lie in the East China Sea.

On Wednesday, the Japanese prime minister called the archipelago an "inherent part" of Japanese territory.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had urged both to "engage in dialogue to calm the waters", a diplomat said.

The islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, are also claimed by Taiwan. South of Okinawa and north of Taiwan, they are controlled by Japan.

Earlier this month, the Japanese government bought the islands from their private Japanese owner, reigniting a territorial row that has rumbled for years.

The row has seen a ceremony meant to mark Sino-Japanese ties cancelled and a number of Japanese businesses briefly halt production in some Chinese cities because of protests.

Both Chinese and Taiwanese fishing boats and surveillance ships have also been sailing in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters - leading to warnings from Tokyo.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's comments came as he gave China's address to the UN General Assembly.

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China hits out over islands at UN

By Flavia Krause-Jackson and Stuart Biggs - 2012-09-26T23:17:41Z

Japan will never budge on its sacred ownership claim to islands in the East China Sea also claimed by China, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said, doing little to ease tensions with Asias top economic power.

While Japan isnt seeking a military confrontation with China and wants to keep talking calmly, the disputed islands are an inherent part of our territory in light of history and also under international law, Noda told reporters in New York today in comments translated into English by an interpreter.

Tensions over the islands, known as Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese, have spilled over onto the sidelines of an annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. The foreign ministers of China and Japan yesterday held talks at a hotel in New York that revealed no room for compromise.

Nodas words came amid the worst diplomatic crisis between the two nations since 2005. A first round of talks yesterday did not go well. China will not tolerate Japans claims to islands in the East China Sea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said after its minister, Yang Jiechi, met with his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba.

Japans Gemba described the atmosphere at the meeting as severe and emphasized Japans maximum restraint over the dispute, Kyodo News reported yesterday.

There was agreement to maintain lines of communication through working-level talks, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told reporters today in Tokyo, adding that the meeting lasted about an hour. There are no magic tricks in diplomacy. It all comes down to holding talks through various channels and at various levels.

The crisis sparked protests in China that have damaged operations for Japanese companies. Reservations for more than 40,000 seats on All Nippon Airways (9202) flights were canceled from September to November, Executive Vice President Osamu Shinobe told reporters in Tokyo today. Japan Airlines Co. (9201) had 15,500 cancellations as of Sept. 24. Nissan Motor Co. (7201) said its halting production in China to reflect falling demand,

Organizations in the two countries canceled or postponed a series of events, including plans to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations. China skipped an international disaster relief conference in Tokyo, Xinhua reported. It said Chinese leaders in the Japanese city of Yokohama announced they would cancel an annual National Day parade on Oct. 1.

Nissan, the top Japanese seller of vehicles in China, said today its August output in China fell by 8.9 percent from a year earlier to 86,488 units. Chinese production dropped 18 percent to 67,625 vehicles at Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and declined 10 percent at Honda Motor Co. (7267) Japanese autos will lose their lead this year over German nameplates for the first time since 2005, Chinas Passenger Car Association estimates.

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Japan Won’t Compromise With China on Claim to Islands, Noda Says

NEW YORK/BEIJING (Reuters) - Japan will not compromise on the islands at the heart of a dispute with China as Tokyo already has sovereignty over them, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Wednesday after China's foreign minister angrily declared the islets were "sacred territory." "As for the Senkakus, they are an inherent part of our territory in light of history and also under international ...

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Noda vows no compromise as Japan, China dig in on islands row

BEIJING, China - Japanese and Taiwanese ships shot water cannon at each other Tuesday in the latest confrontation over tiny islands in the East China Sea, as Japan met with another rival, China, in an effort to tamp down tensions.

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In dispute over islands, Japan trades water-cannon fire with Taiwan and meets with China

BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) - China claimed islands at the core of a row with Japan as its "sacred territory" in talks between the two countries' foreign ministers, Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday, as neither side showed any sign of backing down in a long-festering feud. Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba urged China to exercise restraint at what he called a tense hour-long meeting over ...

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China, Japan stand their ground in islands row, but keep talking

Its only seven square kilometers of uninhabited, rocky land, but China and Japan both see a series of remote islands lying between the two countries as symbols of national pride.

Ever since the Japanese government bought an uninhabited, disputed chain of islands in the East China Sea, the tension between Japan and China over the islands has played out in ever more bizarre ways. Here are five recent examples:

A giant water-gun fight:

More than 40 Taiwanese fishing boats traded water cannon fire with Japanese coast guard ships Tuesday after Taiwan for the first time ventured into the disputed waters. China has previously sent patrol ships to the island chain, which is called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diayo in China, saying they wanted to deal a blow to Japans swagger.

Fewer Japanese books:

Bookstores in Beijing are removing books by Japanese authors, the Guardian reports.

The popularWangfujing bookstorehas pulled Chinese versions ofHaruki Murakami's bestseller 1Q84, as well as other Japanese authors' titles,said the Japan Times. "We don't sell Japanese books," said a shop clerk, adding, I don't know much about the reason, but perhaps it is because China-Japan relations are not good, the Guardian writes.

A new aircraft carrier:

China entered its first aircraft carrier into service Tuesday, and although the ship wont be ready for combat anytime soon, the move was in part meant as a show of national strength.

Writing in the China Daily newspaper, retired rear admiral Yang Yihinted that the new vessel might make certain forces think twice about messing with China.

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5 weird examples of tensions over the Japanese/Chinese islands

BEIJING, China - Rival claims to a group of tiny islands in the East China Sea were the focus of talks Tuesday between Chinese and Japanese officials, testing whether the countries can summon the political will to put the rancour behind them.

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Japanese, Chinese diplomats holding talks in Beijing focusing on islands dispute

Over 70 Taiwanese fishing vessels are heading for two disputed islands in the East China Sea to protest their nationalization by the Japanese government, Kyodo News reported.

The vessels left the port of Yilan in northeastern Taiwan earlier on Monday and are expected to be within 37 kilometers of the islands by 5 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Kyodo said. It had no information concerning further moves by the Taiwanese vessels.

Kyodo said that three Chinese navy ships briefly entered Japanese territorial waters around the islands on Monday morning. Two of the ships were equipped with long-range sonar equipment, according to Japanese coast guard information.

Within a few hours all three left, to join three others on station just outside the territorial waters.

The islands, known as the Senkaku to Japan and Diaoyu to China, have been at the center of a dispute recently that has triggered violent anti-Japanese protests across China and caused Japanese companies to suspend operations in China.

Both Taiwan - to which the pre-1949 Chinese government moved - and China reject Japans claims to the islands, which were controlled by the United States after World War II and granted to Japan in 1972.

Japan claims that China and Taiwan only began to take an interest in the islands in the 1970s, when evidence was discovered of major subsurface resource deposits in their territorial waters.

The issue flared up after Japan nationalized three of the five islands two weeks ago, which previously belonged to a private owner.

Beijing and Tokyo cannot agree on a maritime border in the economic zones around the islands. Japan claims it has occupied the islands since 1895, while Beijing says Japanese charts dating back to 1783 show the islands as Chinese territory.

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Taiwan Fishing Vessels Head for Disputed Islands

TOKYO (Reuters) - Two Chinese marine surveillance ships entered what Japan considers its territorial waters near disputed islands in the East China Sea on Monday, the Japanese Coast Guard said, a move bound to raise tension between Asia's two largest economies. China's Xinhua news agency confirmed that two civilian surveillance ships were undertaking a "rights defense" patrol near the islands ...

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China surveillance ships enter waters near disputed islands

Riot police last week stand guard outside the Japanese Embassy in Beijing with two rows of barricades as people protest Japanese control of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, a contested group of islands in the East China Sea. (Sim Chi Yin, The New York Times)

SENKAKU/DIAOYU ISLANDSThe voyage to these remote islands at the center of one of Asia's most dangerous territorial disputes is a bone-jarring seven-hour boat ride from one of Japan's southernmost ports, a long-enough journey that the fishermen who brave the often-stormy seas regularly sail in pairs for safety. The trip from the mainland of China, which also lays claim to the islands, is even longer.

The waters around the islands are thought to be infested with man-eating sharks. And the islands themselves, while tropical, are hardly postcard quality. Uotsuri, the largest of the five islands, is nothing more than a pair of craggy mountains with boulder-strewn slopes that rise 1,000 feet almost straight from the water's edge.

Two nearby islands are nothing more than large rocks covered by scruffy shrubs and bird droppings. No one has lived on the islands since World War II.

The value of the islands has never been in their aesthetics, but in history and geopolitics: what control of the islands says about the relative power of Asia's two economic giants, one rising and the other in what many see as a slow decline.

It remains unclear how far the longstanding territorial conflict could escalate. China has in recent days tamped down protests that were threatening to slip beyond its control, and the two countries share deep economic ties that make the stakes of further escalation clear.

Interest in the islands rose in the late 1960s, when scientists began saying the nearby sea floor could hold oil deposits.

The current rise in tensions was evident during the recent boat trip to the islands, when a coast guard ship trailed the ship carrying the journalists and nationalists, even after extracting promises that no one would make a break for the islands. As the two ships were about three miles from Uotsuri, the coast guard demanded it go no further.

The three nationalists said they planned to point out the need to defend the islands against China by posting a short documentary of their trip on YouTube.

"We must draw the line with the Chinese here," said the leader, Hissho Yanai, 50, who heads the 80-member Association to Protect Our Children's Future from Chinese Intimidation based in Aitama, just north of Tokyo. "If we let them have the Senkaku Islands, they'll come after all of Okinawa next."

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Disputed islands test resolve of two giants: China and Japan

The Channel Islands High football team didn't miss a beat with two of its stars sidelined on Friday night.

A.J. Oto picked up big yardage and scored two touchdowns to lift the Raiders to a 28-0 non-league win over visiting San Marcos.

Richard Gray suffered a knee injury in last week's 31-0 loss at Royal. Gray had racked up 300 yards rushing on 34 carries in three games.

Behind the tandem of Oto and Paul Vasquez, the Raiders ran wild.

The Raiders (2-2) jumped to a quick 7-0 lead on a 73-yard run by Oto on the first play from scrimmage. Edel Hernandez kicked the first of four PATS.

Josh Carrera, Javier Vasquez, Vince Ines and Jose Machado blocked well for Channel Islands.

"We turned it all around tonight," said Channel Islands coach Gary Porter."A.J. just exploded out on the first play of the game."

In the second quarter, Vasquez added to the scoring show with as 68-yard run.

Oto scored his second TD with a 65-yard dash to make 21-0 with 3:27 left in the first half. Oto rushed for 182 yards on 14carries.

Channel Islands had 293 yards rushing in the first half against San Marcos (1-3). The Royals were coming off their first win last week 40-20 over Hueneme but couldn't stop the offensive surge.

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Channel Islands rushes past San Marcos

Published: 1:22PM Friday September 21, 2012 Source: ONE News

Profits from the Government's controversial asset sales programme will be used to help the residents of the Chatham Islands, the Prime Minister has announced.

The small community of just over 600 people needs millions of dollars of investment to upgrade its decaying port and boost power generation.

On his first visit to the islands, John Key conceded the Government is likely to fund a $20 million upgrade to the vital but rotting wharf, and may put about $6 million from the partial sale of state assets into more power generation.

The move would bring down electricity bills which are currently three times higher than those on the mainland.

However, the Government's contribution cold be reduced if proposals to dredge phosphate from the sea floor are realised.

Chatham Islands Mayor Albert Preece is in discussions with Dutch and New Zealand joint venture partners interested in mining the mineral which is used in fertiliser.

He told ONE News he has heard figures of $1.3 billion talked about in relation to the venture.

Key said the Government would be in discussions with the group if the plans go further ahead. "That's standard practice in New Zealand when we look at some developments," he said.

The prospect of a large scale investment in the islands is being welcomed by locals.

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Asset sales profits to go to help Chatham Islands

20th September, 2012

TOKYO: The uninhabited islands at the centre of an escalating territorial row between Tokyo and Beijing may sit on top of a rich oil reserve or may be little more than a bunch of rocks.

Decades-long speculation about the value of the islands, known in Japan as Senkaku and as Diaoyu in China, have been based largely on an obscure 1969 United Nations report suggesting the seabed in the area could contain an oil bonanza.

But the document, produced from surveys conducted by an international team of experts, including scientists from China and Japan, never gave any estimate of the reserves and said more research was needed.

Sediments beneath the continental shelf are believed to have great potential as oil and gas reservoirs, says the report.

An area several times larger than Taiwan lies north of that island with sediment thicknesses exceeding two kilometres (1.2 miles) and perhaps reaching the nine kilometres thickness that underlies Taiwan. The islands lie some 200 kilometres from Taiwan.

This sediment is of a similar age and structure to the strata under Taiwan that are known to contain oil, the report says.

The shallow sea floor between Japan and Taiwan appears to have great promise as a future oil province of the world, but detailed seismic studies are now required. Afterward, the final test must be made by offshore drilling. The mere suggestion of vast reserves and media speculation in the 1970s that the continental shelf between Taiwan and Japan could hold a staggering 100 billion barrels of oil was enough to set off a territorial scramble.

We dont believe such a huge amount is actually there, a Japanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

More recent investigations have not focused on the islands in particular.

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Japan-China dispute islands: Oil bonanza or just rocks?

Kitakojima and Minamikojima - Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu to China) History has often been a cruel mistress to the global economy. With this anecdote in mind then,  how have we returned to  intense nationalist sparring in Asia after all of the lessons learned from the wars of the past century and beyond? The recent events surrounding

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China and Japan Must Resist Nationalism Over Islands

BEIJING The worst of the anti-Japanese protests that have swept China in recent days may be over. The financial fallout for the world's second- and third-biggest economies may be just beginning.

Japanese-owned factories, restaurants, mini-marts and clothing retailers across China closed en masse Tuesday as protests continued in nearly 100 cities, sparked by a dispute over control of uninhabited islands near Taiwan.

Automakers Nissan, Honda, Toyota and Mazda suspended operations at some plants, as did Sony. Hundreds of 7-Eleven shops run by a Japanese company were shuttered, as were dozens of outlets of the popular Gap-like Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo. Eateries serving Japanese food even those with Chinese owners and staff closed as well, shaken by weekend demonstrations that saw protesters overturning Japanese cars, looting businesses and setting factories on fire.

Though domestic political pressure made it difficult for either side to compromise, neither appeared to be in the mood for an escalation either. China sent hundreds of police to the Japanese Embassy on Tuesday to monitor the crowd that gathered there, and many people received text messages from the police asking them to protest peacefully.

But with the world economy struggling, damage has already been done. One analyst predicted a "short, sharp downturn" in business dealings between two major global players.

The business closures and calls to boycott Japanese goods helped drive down the stock prices of many Japanese companies, including Nissan, which fell 5%; Honda, which dropped 2.5%; and Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing, which plummeted 7%. The shares of some Chinese companies with close ties to Japanese firms also fell.

"This is the worst we have seen," said Tetsuo Kotani, a research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs in Tokyo. "This could be a turning point for Japanese companies, making them reconsider the risks in China and leading them to diversify toward Southeast Asia, South America and Africa."

Anti-Japanese sentiment has long existed in China, and authorities often have encouraged it. The recent demonstrations were the largest and most violent since 2005, when Chinese took to the streets over grievances that included a textbook they said downplayed accounts of Japanese brutality in China and elsewhere in Asia during World War II.

The latest protests appeared to peak Tuesday on a date tied to that same period: the 81st anniversary of an event that launched Japan's deadly occupation of large parts of China.

The dispute is over uninhabited islands known by Japan as the Senkaku and China as the Diaoyu. Japanese officials, pushed to action by Tokyo's nationalistic governor, Shintaro Ishihara, announced last week that the government would buy three of the islands from the Japanese family that has controlled them for decades. China argues that they were an integral part of its territory for centuries, and were illegally occupied by Japan.

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Economic stakes high in China-Japan islands dispute

A proposal to transfer ownership of the Nga Motu/Sugar Loaf Islands to iwi will be consulted on with the public and tangata whenu, says New Plymouth District Council.

At yesterday's (Tuesday) meeting, the Council noted the Office of Treaty Settlements (OTS) wishes to transfer ownership of the islands from NPDC and Taranaki Regional Council to Te Atiawa and Taranaki iwi as part of the Crowns treaty settlement.

If the proposal went ahead, the islands would remain part of the Sugar Loaf Islands Marine Protected Area (SLIMPA) and continue to be administered by the Department of Conservation. In practice, nothing would change for the general public.

Mayor Harry Duynhoven says the proposal is worth discussing with the wider public.

"The transfer of ownership would acknowledge the great historical and cultural importance of the islands to Te Atiawa and Taranaki while continuing the established conservation work and public access," says the Mayor.

NPDC and TRC will work together on the consultation. Once public submissions have been heard, a final report will go back to both councils for consideration.

In the past Te Atiawa and Taranaki occupied Nga Motu (the islands), and the islands and the adjacent mainland were often the scene of battles. The strategic potential of the islands made them a defensive bastion on several occasions when northern iwi invaded.

Several archaeological sites and two urupa have been identified on the islands and associated reefs.

Captain Cook renamed Nga Motu as the Sugar Loaf Islands in 1770 as they reminded him of how sugar was stored in heaps or loaves in Europe.

When the SLIMPA was established in 1991, Moturoa Island, Motumahanga (Saddleback Island), Waikaranga (Seal Rocks) and Whareumu (Lion Rock), along with the seabed, foreshore and water, became sanctuary areas under the Conservation Act 1987.

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Ownership proposal for Nga Motu/Sugar Loaf Islands