Analysis on the Definition of Japanese Territory After World War II in Terms of International Law: the Southern Kurils, the Diaoyu Islands and Tok Islet

Abstract

Geopolitical tensions have periodically risen in the Asia-Pacific region due to territorial disputes between Japan and its neighbours over the Southern Kurils (the Northern Territories), the Diaoyu Islands (the Senkaku islands) and Tok Islet (Tok Islet (Dokdo)/ Takeshima). There is, of course, great discrepancy between the disputes over the Southern Kurils, the Diaoyu Islands and Tok Islet (Dokdo) in terms of their respective origin and legal nature, and effective control over them, and the historical and legal grounds on which the disputing states rely in their claims over the disputed territories vary widely. But what is consensual and definite is the fact that the islands in dispute were already excluded from the Japanese territory under the international legal acts deciding Japanese territory after World War II. The paper examines and analyzes Japanese reasoning behind its claim over the disputed territories in terms of relevant international legal acts relating to the delimitation of Japanese territory after World War II.