＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「海警法」は明確な国際法違反！中国による尖閣諸島での領海侵入が常態化
Despite the fact that China’s “Coast Guard Law,” enacted on February 1, 2021, which grants the Coast Guard the authority to use weapons, is clearly a violation of international law, the Japanese government continues to use roundabout and indirect language, repeatedly stating that it is “asking China to stop” incurring incursions into the territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands. This is severely damaging to Japan’s national interests.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato merely repeats that the incursions are “regrettable,” and Foreign Minister Motegi only asks China not to apply the Coast Guard Law in a way that violates international law.
We must not ignore the fact that Chinese Coast Guard vessels have now transformed into a “second navy.”
1. US Statement
Regarding the repeated incursions of Chinese Coast Guard vessels into Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, US Department of Defense spokesperson Kirby stated on February 24, 2021, that “these actions could lead to miscalculations and physical damage. We urge China to cease using its Coast Guard vessels for such actions.”
The United States, both under the Trump and Biden administrations, has clearly stated that the Senkaku Islands are subject to Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, so this comment is entirely natural.
While this is not something the Japanese government should be particularly grateful for, it is undoubtedly a powerful message from the United States to China as a warning.
2. Statement by Japanese Communist Party Chairman Shii
Strangely, the strongest critics of China’s Coast Guard Law and territorial incursions in Japanese politics are not the Japanese government, nor the opposition parties such as the Japan Innovation Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Democratic Party for the People, or the Social Democratic Party, but the Japanese Communist Party.
On February 12th, Japanese Communist Party Chairman Shii issued a statement demanding the withdrawal of the Coast Guard Law, stating that its implementation violates international law.
Chairman Shii stated the following:
The China Coast Guard Law is a clear violation of international law. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea limits the authority of coastal states and broadly recognizes the freedom of navigation in the international community. Even within territorial waters, unlimited coercive measures cannot be taken.
However, reading the text of China’s Coast Guard Law reveals that it unilaterally determines “our (China’s) jurisdictional waters” and can conduct inspections, and that it has the authority to take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons, to prevent infringement and eliminate danger. Furthermore, the law does not define what constitutes a jurisdictional water area. In short, China can expand its jurisdictional waters indefinitely. This directly contradicts the order of international law. Therefore, the Japanese government needs to criticize the law itself as a violation of international law and demand its repeal.
3. The Japanese government should clearly and strongly communicate to both domestic and international audiences that “the Coast Guard Law is a violation of international law.”
It goes without saying that the Japanese government should take concrete measures to establish effective control of the Senkaku Islands as soon as possible, but it should also repeatedly and strongly communicate to both domestic and international audiences that “the Coast Guard Law violates international law” as part of an “information war” (propaganda war).
At the House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on February 17th, the opposition pressed the government to acknowledge that the Coast Guard Law violates international law, but the response was limited to bureaucratic, cautious language that deferred to China, stating that it “contains provisions that are problematic from the standpoint of consistency with international law.”
If, by any chance, the Japanese government, including Prime Minister Kan, defers to Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, who is pro-China (or rather, fawning of China), and refrains from taking a firm stance against China, it will be a grave blow to Japan’s national interests.
The Japanese government should take the lead in strongly asserting to China the same points raised by Chairman Shii of the Japanese Communist Party.