A study of the Strategic and Socio-Cultural Dimensions of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands Dispute

Abstract

China and Japan have been locked in a territorial dispute over the sovereignty of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands since the end of WWII. This quarrel has repeatedly been at the origin of diplomatic tensions between China and Japan, consequently affecting the overall stability of North East Asia. Yet, due to its controversial nature, the Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute has very little prospect of resolution and has been reliant on a fragile status quo. This thesis explores the different factors that interact and affect this status quo. It proposes a literature review of various American, Japanese, Chinese and Korean authors who have written on the geopolitical, economic and social dimensions that come into play in this dispute. This literature review allows us a more accurate assessment of the economic, political, social and cultural phenomena that influence the territorial dispute. This research gives a discussion on the relationship that exists between the different dimensions, and particularly how each dimension influences the other. Finally, this thesis presents an analysis of eight recent events in which tensions between China and Japan over this dispute were particularly high. The research finds that, for each event, both the strategic and socio-cultural phenomena described in the literature review are observed. Basing itself on this observation, this thesis concludes with a breakdown of the behavior of the actors involved in this dispute. The analysis of the events finds repetitive patterns in the behavior of the actors involved. These include 1) the manipulation of nationalistic sentiments for political purposes, 2) the stabilizing role of bilateral economic relations on the crisis, 3) the use of issue linkage to other domestic and international crises, 4) the selective blackout of news concerning the issue in local media for domestic political purposes, and 5) the stabilizing effect on regional security by the US.