Anna Costa - The China-Japan Conflict over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands

This book examines the foreign and security policies adopted by China and Japan since the 1970s in their competition over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. It charts the development of a dispute that has become a potential flashpoint for conflict between the two countries. The book explains that while increasing nationalism in both China and Japan helps to fuel and sustain the dispute, a key factor is that the leaderships in both countries find competition over the islands to be a convenient vehicle supporting their wider approach to foreign and security policy, which is becoming increasingly assertive and potentially belligerent.

Anna Costa completed her doctorate at the University of Hong Kong. Her research centres on the contemporary international relations of East Asia. She is an Honorary Assistant Professor in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Department of Modern China Studies, The University of Hong Kong.

3Taiwans Defense Reform

Edited by Martin Edmonds and Michael M. Tsai

4Maritime Security in Southeast Asia

Edited by Kwa Chong Guan and John K. Skogan

5Chinas Security Interests in the 21st Century

Russell Ong

6Chinas Rise Threat or Opportunity?

Edited by Herbert S. Yee

7India and the South Asian Strategic Triangle

Ashok Kapur

8Southeast Asia and the Rise of China

The Search for Security

Ian Storey

9Chinas Strategic Competition with the United States

Russell Ong

10The Origins of U.S. Policy in the East China Sea Islands Dispute

Okinawas Reversion and the Senkaku Islands

Robert D. Eldridge

11Arming Asia

Technonationalism and its Impact on Local Defense Industries

Richard A. Bitzinger

12The China-Japan Conflict over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands

Useful Rivalry

Anna Costa

Anna Costa

First published 2018

by Routledge

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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2018 Anna Costa

The right of Anna Costa to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

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ISBN: 978-1-138-30873-2 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-14309-5 (ebk)

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I am intellectually indebted to a large number of people and institutions without whose support I could not have completed this work. First amongst them is Professor Louise Edwards, whose guidance, constant support and contagious passion for academic research were of the essence during the project. I am deeply grateful to the government of Hong Kong and to the School of Modern Languages and Cultures of The University of Hong Kong for supporting my research through the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme and thereafter. Here, special thanks go to Dr John Wong, Dr Roland Vogt, Professor Kendall Johnson, Dr Charles Schenking, Professor Christopher Hutton and Professor Kam Louie. I am also very grateful to Professor Michael Wesley for his comments and insight. As Swire Scholar, I am indebted to the Swire Group, Robert Black College and to Professor Kai Ming Chen for greatly facilitating my research endeavour. In Japan, the Graduate School of Law and Politics of the University of Tokyo and Professor Akio Takahara offered me an excellent platform to conduct my study. In London, my colleagues at Independent Diplomat played a key role in deepening my understanding of the workings of diplomacy. I have a debt of gratitude to the academic communities of the LSE and Peking University, including to Professor John Breuilly, Professor John Hutchinson, Professor Arne Westad and Professor Wang Jisi, amongst many others. These are the places where I laid the foundations for my understanding of nationalism and foreign policy. Peter Sowden, my editorial contact at Routledge, did a wonderful job assisting me during the publishing process. I also wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their precious insights. Finally, I would like to thank my family and my friends. I could not have written this book without their unremitting love and support.