- Japan’s ruling party is seriously considering international arbitration to settle its own maritime dispute with China
- Japan has accused China of violating a standing agreement that mandates cooperation on development of disputed islets in East China Sea
- A Japanese official said action must be taken if the talks with China eventually failed
MANILA, Philippines – Tokyo may soon follow in Manila’s footsteps after Japan’s ruling party revealed it is now seriously considering international arbitration to settle its own territorial dispute with China.
Japan is currently embroiled in a bitter sovereignty dispute over Senkaku island, an island in the East China Sea currently under the control of the Japanese government but is also claimed by China.
A Reuters report said Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the parliament on Wednesday, March 16 to start considering and planning for an international arbitration if the talks with China over the halted construction of oil-and-gas exploration platforms in the East China Sea eventually failed.
Japan has accused China of unilateral development of disputed islets and features, which is a violation of their 2008 agreement that mandates cooperation on resource exploration and development in the area.
However, China insists they have all the rights to proceed with the drilling in the areas near East China Sea where both countries laid their respective sovereignty claims over.
“If China shrugs off the request, some action must be taken,” Yoshiaki Harada, head of an LDP panel on resources development in the East China Sea, was quoted by Reuters as telling reporters.
“Everyone has agreed that we should not shy away from taking the matter to an international arbitration court and starting preparation for that step should be considered,” the Japanese official added.
In March 2014, Manila officially filed the arbitration case against China, mainly questioning the latter’s ‘nine-dash line’ maritime boundary that has encroached into the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The Philippines scored an initial victory in October last year after the arbitration court in The Hague, Netherlands ruled it has jurisdiction over the case.
The court is expected to issue its ruling on the merits of Manila’s case within this year.
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