Chronologies
Japan - China
Chronology from Sep 2010 to Dec 2010
: Supra-party Diet delegation of Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians League visits China.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry announces that Japan-China Security Dialogue scheduled for Dec. 24 in Beijing is postponed; scheduling difficulties are given as the reason.
: Ishigaki Assembly unanimously adopts a resolution designating Jan. 14 as Senkakus Day.
: Kan Cabinet adopts new National Defense Program Guidelines.
: JCG finds two Chinese fisheries surveillance ships operating near the Senkakus but outside Japan’s territorial waters.
: DPJ Foreign Policy and Security Affairs Council adopts draft proposals for National Defense Program Guidelines.
: METI Minister Ohata meets Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission Zhang Ping in Yokohama; Zhang tells Ohata that he has ordered expedited customs procedures for rare earth metal exports.
: Foreign Ministers Maehara and Yang meet during APEC Forum in Yokohama.
: Prime Minister Kan and President Hu meet during APEC Forum in Yokohama.
: Chief navigator of JCG ship Uranmai admits to uploading of video to YouTube.
: JCG orders Chinese research ships to leave Japan’s EEZ; Chinese ships comply.
: Chinese deploy police to prevent anti-Japanese protests during the Asian Games in Guangzhou.
: Supra-party Union of Diet Members to Protect National Sovereignty and the National Interests announces its intention to amend existing legislation to transfer ownership status of Senkakus to the national government.
: China insists JCG video does not change the truth of Japan’s illegal actions.
: The JCG video of the Senkaku incident is uploaded to YouTube; Prime Minister Kan orders an investigation of the leak.
: Former Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan attends a Tokyo meeting of the Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century; meets Prime Minister Kan, DPJ and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretaries General Okada Katusya and Tanigaki Sadakazu and Keidanren Chairman Yonekura Hiromasa.
: Prime Minister Kan and Preimier Wen meet at the EAS in Hanoi.
: Foreign Ministers Maehara and Yang meet on sidelines of East Asian Summit (EAS) in Hanoi; they reiterate talking points on Senkakus and reaffirm commitment to mutually beneficial strategic relationship.
: Japanese government releases six-minute, edited copy of JCG video of the Senkaku incident to the Budget Committee.
: Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Minister Ohata Akihiro meets Vice Minister of Commerce Jiang Yaping in Tokyo and asks China to ease restrictions on rare metal exports.
: JCG confirms Chinese fisheries patrol ships are operating between Japan’s territorial waters and Economic Exclusive Zone; Japan protests through diplomatic channels.
: Anti-Japanese, Senkaku-related protests resume in China.
: Foreign Minister Maehara rejects Chinese claims that Japan and China had agreed to shelve sovereignty issues over the Senkakus during negotiations over the 1978 Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty; China charges Japan with denying historical reality.
: Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Hu Zhengyue blasts Maehara’s language and repeated attacks on China as inappropriate for a foreign minister.
: Ishigaki Municipal Assembly asks national government permission to land on Senkaku Islands.
: China Daily says China’s rare earth metal exports will be cut 30 percent in 2011.
: Foreign Minister Maehara decries China’s “hysterical” response to the Senkaku incident; China expresses shock at Maehara’s language.
: Japanese government and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) comply with Budget Committee’s request to turn over the JCG video of the Senkaku incident.
: Prime Minister Kan tells the Upper House that Japan has urged China to protect Japanese citizens and businesses in the face of anti-Japanese protests; Ambassador Niwa calls on Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi with the same request.
: Anti-Japanese, Senkakus-related protests take place in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian and Zhengzhou.
: Lower House Budget Committee unanimously requests Naha Special Prosecutors Office to submit the JCG video of the Senkaku incident to the Diet.
: Defense Ministers Kitazawa and Liang Guanglie meet in Hanoi at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus 8 (ADMM+) and reaffirm the commitment to building mutually beneficial strategic relationship and to take steps to establish bilateral communications mechanism to avoid conflicts at sea. Liang also informs Kitazawa of China’s decision to cancel the scheduled Oct. 15 Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) port call in Qingdao.
: China releases last of four Fujita employees who had been detained on suspicion of entering a restricted military zone.
: Supra-party “Group of Young Diet members to Establish National Security in the 21st Century” is formed in Japan.
: Two Chinese fisheries patrol ships depart waters near the Senkakus.
: Prime Minister Kan and Premier Wen meet at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) meeting in Brussels.
: Mayors from Okinawa Prefecture meet Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Furukawa Motohisa and request that the government increase surveillance activities in the area and protect Japanese sovereignty over territorial land and water.
: Foreign Minister Maehara Sieji calls for dialogue with China in order to avoid future incidents similar to the one in the Senkakus.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku Yoshito assumes the lead in dealing with the Diet’s request for the Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) video of the Senkaku incident.
: Minister of Defense Kitazawa Toshimi tells the Lower House Budget Committee that the government would consider deployments of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) to Yonagumi Island in Japan’s southwest island chain.
: Japan’s Ambassador to China Niwa Uichiro meets Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue and asks China to stop unilateral actions related to the Shirakaba/Chunxiao natural gas field in East China Sea.
: China releases three of four detained Fujita Construction employees.
: Prime Minister Kan Naoto apologies for the poor handling of the Senkaku incident and reaffirms Japanese sovereignty over the islands.
: Ten Chinese ships sited in waters near the Chunxiao (Shirakaba) gas field.
: Trading companies report China’s export of rare earth metals has resumed.
: Jiang Yu tells media that China highly values the Japan relationship but repairing relations will require the two countries to meet halfway and will require Japan to take “candid and practical actions.”
: Japanese are arrested for throwing flare at the Chinese Consulate in Fukuoka.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku suggests that China pay for repair of Japanese Coast Guard ship; says China is responsible for putting relationship back on track.
: Japan National Tourist Organization announces that the number of Chinese visitors to Japan hit 1.04 million January to August, topping the 1.01 million for all of 2009.
: Prime Minister Kan refuses to apologize to China for the fishing boat incident
: Japanese embassy requests early resolution of four detained Fujita employees.
: Japanese diplomat meets four detained Japanese nationals in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province
: Beijing calls for an apology from Japan over fishing boat incident;
: Ishigaki prosecutors announce release of Chinese captain; further investigation deemed “inappropriate.”
: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton affirms that the US-Japan Security Treaty extends to Senkaku islands; Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen make similar statements.
: Following APEC forum on tourism in Nara, Zhang Xilong blames Japan for fishing boat incident; warns of downturn in Chinese tourists to Japan.
: Premier Wen in speech in New York demands release of ship’s captain.
: China’s releases 2010 Diplomatic White Paper; devotes an entire chapter to China’s borders and maritime rights.
: Japan’s National Governors Conference announces postponement of Japan-China Governors Forum scheduled for Oct. 28.
: China rules out Wen-Kan meeting during UNGA in New York.
: Ishigaki court extends detention of Chinese captain through September 29.
: China detains four Japanese nationals employed by Fujita Construction for entering a restricted military area without permission in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.
: Ambassador Niwa called to Chinese Foreign Ministry; China’s demands release of ship’s captain.
: Prime Minister Kan and Cabinet officials discuss responses to Chinese actions in Chunxiao (Shirakaba).
: Prime Minister Kan appoints Maehara as foreign minister.
: Foreign Minister Maehara warns that Japan will take appropriate actions if drilling activities are observed at the Chunxiao (Shirakaba) natural gas field.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry reveals that a Japan Air Self-Defense Force P-3C observed drilling equipment being transported to China’s drilling platform in Chunxiao (Shirakaba) natural gas field.
: Minister of Land and Transport Maehara Seiji visits Japan’s Coast Guard station in Ishigaki in connection with Chinese fishing boat incident; praises Coast Guard actions.
: Ambassador Niwa called to Chinese Foreign Ministry; China’s demands release of ship’s captain.
: China cancels planned 5-day visit to Japan of vice chairman of Standing Committee of National People’s Congress
: Japanese authorities release crew and ship.
: China’s Foreign Ministry, citing the fishing boat incident, announces postponement of East China Sea negotiations.
: Okinawa officials approve prosecutor’s request for detention of captain of Chinese fishing ship.
: Narita District Immigration Office reports the number of Chinese visitors entering Japan at Narita Airport from July through the end of August came to approximately 106,000 an increase of 1.8 times over 2009.
: State Councilor Dai Bingguo calls Ambassador Niwa for midnight meeting to protest Japanese actions and demand release of captain, crew, and boat.
: Chinese surveillance ship approaches Japanese research ship on eastern side of Japan’s claimed mid-line boundary; demands research activities be halted; Japan protests through diplomatic channels
: Japanese Coast Guard hands over captain of Chinese fishing ship to prosecutors for possible indictment for obstructing Coast Guard in exercise of its duties.
: Foreign Minister Yang calls in Ambassador Niwa to demand release of captain, crew, and ship.
: Japanese Cabinet approves 2010 Defense White Paper.
: Ambassador Niwa is called to Chinese Foreign Ministry; China demands release of captain, crew, and fishing boat.
: Japan’s Ambassador Niwa is called to Chinese Foreign Ministry; China demands release of captain, crew, and the fishing boat being held by Japan.
: Chinese fishing boat collides with Japanese Coast Guard ship in waters around Senkaku islands; captain, crew, and ship are detained.
: Senior Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office Hiroka Hideo announces that Japan has begun destruction of chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Army.