What if two of Asia’s largest economies went to war over a couple of tiny islands in the middle of the ocean? These islands are small and uninhabited, so why fight over them? You see, the key detail here has to do with strategic location and the potential resources they harbor. So, in this video, we’ll explore how China and Japan, arguably Asia’s largest economies, are squabbbling for these islands and why they could start a war over them.
So, where are these islands and what is their name? Well, the name itself is already an indicator of this dispute. Japan calls them the Senkaku Islands, while China calls them the Diaoyu Islands. Even Taiwan has a separate name for them, Tiaoyutai. These islands are located on the East China Sea, almost strategically located between mainland China, Japan, and Taiwan.
The island chain itself is composed of five uninhabited islands as well as three barren rock formations. Their size is between 0.002 km to 3.81 km. So why are these tiny uninhabited rocks such a point of dispute? To understand that, we will delve into the history of this dispute. Then, we’ll move into how it has impacted current China-Japan relations and the potential geopolitical implications if a conflict does break out over them.
Starting with history, let’s start with the Meiji restoration. You see, this chapter of Japanese history saw the return of imperial rule to Japan and the overthrow of the Shogunates and the samurai-based regime in 1868. By 1879, the restored Japanese government annexed the long-standing Ryukyu Kingdom. This kingdom was based on the Ryukyu Islands, a larger island chain in the southern edge of Japan, which lay right next to the currently disputed islands known as Senkaku in Japanese.
The Ryukyu Islands also marked the separation of the Qing Empire in China. So, as soon as Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Senkaku Islands became an official boundary between China and Japan in the East China Sea. The Ryukyu Kingdom became known as the Okinawa Prefecture territory of the Japanese Empire. By 1885, the governor of the Okinawa Prefecture requested the Imperial government of Meiji to formally add the Senkaku Islands to Okinawa.
However, the government refused because the islands were right at the border with China and had already been given Chinese names by the Qing dynasty, “Diaoyu” or “Diaoyutai.” This initial period was peaceful and the islands were left as that boundary for the time being. This would change in 1894 with the first Sino-Japanese war.
In January of 1895, Japan annexed the islands to be managed by Okinawa. Japan justified this act based on surveys it had been doing since 1884, marking them as uninhabited and therefore “Terra Nullius” or “no man’s land.” Eventually, China lost the first Sino-Japanese war. And in 1895, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed. This treaty forced China to cede Taiwan and its associated islands to Japan.
However, the key thing here was the treaty did not specify which islands were included in that group. This would later become a point of argument for China and Taiwan’s claim, which we will cover later. So, with that, Japan kept control of the islands until the end of World War II in 1945. After the defeat of Imperial Japan and the other axis powers in World War II, the US government took control of the islands.
In 1952, Japan renounced sovereignty over Taiwan and those same associated islands it had gained in 1895. It wouldn’t be until the late 1960s that renewed importance would return to the islands. You see, in 1969, the UN Economic Commission for Asia in the Far East found potential oil and gas reserves right where the Senkaku Islands are.
Due to this, Japan, now a Western ally, requested control of these islands back from the American government. So, in 1971, the Okinawa Reversion Treaty passed the US Senate. And by 1972, the United States returned the islands to Japan. Japan reincorporated them as a part of Okinawa. We should note that before the 1970s, China and Taiwan had not officially claimed these islands, even referring to them by their Japanese name in post-1945 newspapers and government documents.
However, China began making claims to the islands in 1971. But why wait until now? Likely because of these potential oil reserves that the UN identified in 1968. However, there is another historical narrative that China used for its claim. You see, according to China, the dispute is a result of Japanese imperial legacy.
In addition, even after Japan’s defeat in World War II, China claims it couldn’t secure the islands because it was engaged in the Chinese civil war. The end of this war now saw Democratic Kuomintang being expelled to Taiwan in 1949 by the Chinese Communist Party. So by 1972, not only the CCP, but also the Democratic Republic of China, Taiwan, claimed sovereignty over the islands.
They make their points using several key arguments. So let’s break down China’s historical claims to the islands. According to the narrative, China discovered these islands as far back as 1372. There is an early record of the islands referred to as “Diaoyutai” from 1403. It comes from a Chinese book called “Voyage with the Tail Wind” during which these islands were identified by the travelers who passed by them on a journey from Fujian to the Ryukyu Kingdom.
By 1534, the Ming dynasty recorded all of the islands’ names in the “Record of the Imperial Envoy’s Visit to Ryukyu” and they were used as a sea frontier against Japanese pirates. Going back to the aftermath of the first Sino-Japanese War, the defeated Qing dynasty of China signed the treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. Like we mentioned previously, the treaty did not specify which islands alongside Taiwan would be given to Japan.
China and Taiwan used that uncertainty and Japan’s pre-1894 refusal to claim the islands as another basis. They claimed that Japan only took them as a result of the war. Basically, they say that Japan took advantage of the ambiguity of the Shimonoseki Treaty to take over the islands.
China and Taiwan also claimed that some commercial moves, such as an 1896 and a 1930 purchase by the Koga family, were simply Japanese domestic arrangements. According to them, these moves had no bearing on the legal status of the islands. Jumping forward to 2012, China invited Taiwan to work together and solve the island dispute with Japan.
Taiwan refused, however, making things more complicated. We should note that China and Taiwan already have their own well-known sovereignty dispute over the island of Taiwan itself. Furthermore, a Chinese scholar argued that the original Ryukyu Kingdom was also an independent state outside of Imperial Japan’s jurisdiction.
Now, let’s delve into Japan’s claim to these islands. It is structured upon historical facts and claims of international law. The Japanese government’s official stance is that the Senkaku Islands are under the valid control of Japan. Japan reiterates that the islands were uninhabited and that there was no evidence of Chinese control over the islands before 1895.
Japanese scholars challenged the Chinese claim that the Ming dynasty ever had control over the islands. They use a 1617 record that showed that China didn’t control the islands despite having named them. Another record from the Ming Dynasty limits its territory on the Dongyin and the Liang islands. These two islands are some 40 km off the eastern coast of mainland China.
The Senkaku Islands are much further away, about 330 km off the Chinese coast. Now, by that logic, the islands were far away from the Ming dynasty’s area of influence. Going back to those commercial moves, an Okinawa resident got a lease to do economic activities in 1896. He brought in over 200 plus workers and they started multiple businesses.
For example, fishing, cattle raising, and pier building. The importance here is the fact that the Meiji government gave someone legal permission to use the islands. This showed Japan’s virtual control over them. Japan also claims that China and Taiwan only began their claims to the islands in 1972. This was right after that UN discovery of potential oil and gas reserves near the island seabed.
Essentially, since 1972, Japan has exercised direct administrative control of the islands. For example, they’ve established patrols and law enforcement around the islands to protect them against illegal fishing. In Kuba Island, which is privately owned, the government levies taxes on its owners.
The government also manages some of the islands as state-owned land, such as in Taisho and Otosari Islands. There is even state-sponsored research happening on the islands. When Japan ratified the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea in 1996, it established an exclusive economic zone around the islands. Additionally, in 2005, the Japanese government reaffirmed its territorial sovereignty over these islands.
Finally, in 2012, Tokyo nationalized the islands. With all of this history, what does the United States have to say about all this? Ever since returning the islands to Japan, the US has recognized Japanese administrative control over them. Yet, it has stopped short of taking a direct stand on the sovereignty of the islands. Regardless, the US has repeatedly opposed Chinese territorial claims on these islands.
You see, the 1960 US-Japan Security Treaty includes the islands as a part of Japan’s defensible territory under Article 5. So, where does this leave us now? As of 2026, the dispute remains unresolved and tensions have significantly increased in recent years. For example, in 2025, the Chinese Coast Guard patrolled the islands almost daily—357 days of that year.
These Coast Guard boats were as close as 12 nautical miles from the island’s territorial waters. That represents the border of Japan’s exclusive economic zone. This was an effort not only to assert dominance over the islands, but also to deter Taiwan from making further independence moves. The key here is the location of the islands being so close to Taiwan.
And this is important because of the current tensions between Beijing and Tokyo. You see, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that Japan might intervene if China attacked Taiwan. Over the last 5 years, China has been organizing roughly 100 patrols per year around the islands. Beijing has also deployed more than 500,000 vessels and 6,000 aircraft around the islands.
These patrol ships are also massive. From 2019 to 2025, the boat size increased twofold. In 2025, 22 of the observed Chinese ships weighed over 3,000 tons. Eight of them were over 5,000 tons, and two weighed over 10,000 tons. They are also very well-armed with some possessing 76mm naval guns. Overall, this represents an increase of Chinese coast guard and naval activity in the East China Sea.
According to Reuters, this is part of Beijing’s strategy to assert dominance in the region. This increase in Chinese patrolling activities is concerning because it violates international law. You see, only a claimant country can engage in law enforcement activities within its EEZ. There have already been a few confrontations over the islands in the past 15 years.
In 2010, a Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese vessels near the islands. In response, the Japanese Coast Guard detained the boat’s captain, which caused a diplomatic crisis. Then, in 2012, the Japanese government bought some of the islands. Previously, these were privately owned by Japanese citizens. In response, China sent patrol ships.
Most recently, in December of 2025, China and Japan claimed to have expelled each other’s ships from near the waters. You see, on the one hand, China said it expelled an illegal Japanese fishing vessel. On the other side, Japan said it caught and expelled two Chinese coast guard ships that were approaching this fishing boat.
Also, in December of 2025, PM Takaichi made another bold move. She announced that Japan would deploy larger patrol boats around the islands this year. Japan is also planning strategic defense strategies with key allies around the Indo-Pacific. Some of these partners include the US, South Korea, Australia, and India. China has not taken well to the Japanese prime minister’s comments about Taiwan and her government’s increased defense spending.
Beijing has launched a campaign painting the moves as reminiscent of World War II Japanese militarism. Any wrong move could spark a conflict between the two Asian powers. China’s campaign has also included discouraging tourism to Japan. Beijing also plans to further increase its patrols in and around the Okinawa area which includes these islands.
The tension surrounding the Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands is high. But there is another small island that is also caught in the middle of China and Japan’s feud. That would be Yonaguni, a remote island lying in Japan’s westernmost point. It is extremely close to Taiwan, roughly 70 mi off of its eastern coast.
This puts it directly on the front line of the boiling China-Japan feud. The Senkaku Islands are also pretty close to this island, roughly 80 nautical miles north-northwest of Yonaguni. Japan has recently begun to fortify the island, turning it into a military outpost. The Japanese government has sent troops, set up radar towers, and ammunition storage sites on Yonaguni.
There are also American assets on the island, which along with Japanese counterparts could stop Chinese warships from entering the open Pacific Ocean. China recently held live-fire military drills around Taiwan. This was a show of strength by the Chinese military and the air force, and many activities happened very close to Yonaguni.
This island along with the Senkaku Islands are an important reminder that Japan’s security is very much linked to Taiwan’s. Japan is rapidly responding to this perceived threat. It is planning to increase its military spending by 2% of GDP by this spring. This is 2 years ahead of schedule. In Yonaguni specifically, Japan is planning to station medium-range anti-aircraft missiles to deter potential attacks from China.
This is part of Japan’s broader efforts to fortify its Okinawa islands as a counterweight to China. This effort is known as the self-defense forces. The question is, would those islands include the Senkaku? China has already called these plans “extremely dangerous.” It has accused Japan of provoking military confrontation.
Regardless, Japan remains committed to arm its border islands. Other preparations include planned underground shelters across the Okinawa Islands. These could potentially host more than 200 people. Japanese officials are also holding evacuation drills, and they are preparing residents to receive Taiwanese refugees.
Yonaguni residents, however, are not too happy with the militarization of their island. Whether or not that is true remains to be seen. This all goes to show how even the smallest of islands could have gigantic geopolitical implications. The security of Japan relies on the survival of these islands.
If Japan decided to arm the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, it could prove disastrous for any diplomatic efforts to resolve their sovereignty dispute. One wrong move in Yonaguni could also spark war between China and Japan. These islands represent a delicate geopolitical balance in the Asia-Pacific region. This is why peace and stability there are crucial to prevent a catastrophic scenario.
