China has been infuriated by an unusual display of backbone from the Japanese government, which has arrested a group of Chinese who illegally entered Japan in order to plant communist flags on the Senkaku islands.
A group of 14 “activists” from Hong Kong chartered a ship and sailed to the disputed Senkaku islands, a cluster of uninhabited islands in the south of Okinawa prefecture which are also claimed by China and Taiwan, in the hopes of somehow reinforcing China’s claim.
The Hong Kong group was due to be joined by other activists from Taiwan, but at the last minute their venture fell apart when the owner of their vessel refused to loan it to them for the expedition.
The 14 activists from Hong Kong made it to the islands and managed to get 5 members ashore before Japanese authorities cut their “protest” short.
Japan’s coast guard soon came under fire for standing by and letting them reach the island and disembark, but this was tempered by the rapid response of Okinawa police and immigration officials, who promptly arrived and arrested 5 people found on the islands for illegally entering the country.
Japanese authorities in fact arrested all 14 activists, prompting a demand for their unconditional release from China’s foreign ministry, which regards them to have been in Chinese territory and so illegally detained.
The activists themselves also maintain they were in Chinese territory and so did nothing wrong.
However, for once Japan appears to be having none of it – the prime minister held a press conference in which he said he wanted to “see them dealt with strictly and in accordance with the law.”
Tokyo mayor and prospective overlord of the islands Shintaro Ishihara also piped in, saying they “should be solemnly tried in accordance with the laws of the land.”
However, the coast guard blamed its failure to stop them getting ashore in the first place on orders from on high – “we complied with the government’s overall policy of ensuring minimal risk of injury to either party by avoiding taking any rough measures.”
Illegally entering the country is a criminal offence under Japanese law and carries a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison, although temporary detention and prompt deportation is more usual, and appears to be what the Japanese government has in mind for them – in fact, in 2004 when Chinese activists trespassed in similar fashion, this is exactly what happened.
Public opinion in Japan appears to largely have run out of patience for both the constant efforts of their neighbours to trample them underfoot and their own government’s efforts to make the process easier by grovelling at their feet, although there is not much expectation that they will do anything more than call the inevitable Chinese escalation “regrettable.”
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Fucking really China? Were you really THAT shocked Japan arrested people who illegally entered JAPANESE TERRITORY? Fuck off.
Don't forget the Taiwanese activists who were stopped only at the last minute.
I'd like more info on that. Are they gonna plant the Communist flag too and what are their relationship? Feels more like some Taiwanese resource business hired those Taiwanese activist on the slim chance the mining will be contracted to a Taiwanese company.
Ya..... I dont believe that either.
Taiwan and China joining together to do something this stupid against Japan in the name of China? Theres a catch.
no right taiwanese person would do this in the name of China and we actually like Japan. Im thankful the Taiwanese didn't get to go at the end.
LOL amuses me to see sankakues so confused.
Taiwan and the PRC share the same identity. They got their differences about how to rule but basically think the same, i.e the islands belong to china.
Actually, I would say it's probably a collaboration against Japan's unilateral claim of late.
From regional perspective, Japan was the one who broke the unspoken rule, hence the shared discontent toward Japan.
atleast go wikipedia, both POC and ROC(in case u dont know, taiwan)claim that those islands were wrongly handed to Japan by the US after WWII.
@3:19
Taiwan and PRC share the same identity? You must be from China.
@12:09 neither POC nor ROC dispute the idea that they are both China.
Family feud ends the moment a home invader walks in...
They were probably sent by the Chinese government anyway. China's capable of sinking lower.
Trust me. If the infinitely evil chinese government sends people to the island they're going to be decked out in full combat ordinance and heading a PLA navy fleet. Considering the quality of Japan's coast guard, it's not that hard to do.
The reason they're not doing that is both parties think there's still some way to solve things diplomatically. Remember, chinese think it's their territory and that japan hasn't been keen on handing it back since WWII. But I guess that's the other side of the story people don't really want to hear.
Trust me. If the infinitely evil chinese government wanted to send ppl to the island they're going to be decked out in full combat ordinance heading a PLA navy fleet. Considering the reknowned capabilities of Japan's coast guard, it's not that hard to do.
The reason they're not doing that is because both parties think a diplomatic solution is still within reason. Remember that from a chinese perspective the islands were taken by Japan since WWII and they're not keen on handing them back. But I guess that's the other side of the story people aren't so keen to hear.
Trust me. If the infinitely evil chinese government wanted to send ppl to the island they're going to be decked out in full combat ordinance heading a PLA navy fleet. Considering the reknowned capabilities of Japan's coast guard, it's not that hard to do.
The reason they're not doing that is because both parties think a diplomatic solution is still within reason. Remember that from a chinese perspective the islands were taken by Japan since WWII and they're not keen on handing them back. But I guess that's the other side of the story people aren't so keen to hear.
Deported from own country to the other, in order to get a pretense for bigger drama.
Now that's a double low-blow.
I guess I should consider my self lucky that my country does not have China as a neighbor.
As a person that is born and raised and is working in Taiwan living with my family, Im forever fucked...
THANK YOU!!!! LOL
Actually you should consider yourself lucky that you don't live in World War II's time and with Germany or Japan as neighbour.
Common misconception about Germany, the Germans were actually quite reliable to work with, they provided support to China when everyone else was afraid of Japan.
Even during WWII many Germans donated to fund Chinese military, Hitler even wanted to go to war to punish Japan for its crimes against humanity.
Unfortunately the triple U(UK/US/USSR) tied down German resources and protected Japan, ultimately forcing Hitler to drop his plan.
In WWII, German treatment of civilians in occupied countries aren't that bad, unless you're a Jew.
Japanese war crimes against civilians, on the other hand, had been severe, widespread, and against everyone, including its own citizens.
The worst neighbor award would go to Japan.
China, at any time of its history, wouldn't even make the list. The most they've ever done was demanding tribute from vessel states.
China in its long history has very bad human rights. If u look them up they would be next to
all those very old empires aka Romans; etc.
@13:57 16/08/2012
While the part about Japan being a bad neighbor is quite correct, you're being kept in the dark about what Nazi occupation of e.g. Poland looked like, or how well the regime treated its own citizens who for some reason or another fell out of favor. Gypsies, intelligentsia, catholic clergymen, homosexuals, ex-government officials, communist supporters and random mass execution victims were civilians, and most of them have been higher on the target list than Jews. The rest enjoyed their terror raids, forced labor drafts, curfews, rationing of food and commodities, restrictions on trade, severe bans on indigenous language and culture. Quite the holiday, huh?
It sounds clear in text, but find them on a map of Japan and it will be a bit more clearer why the three countries are fighting over them.
the islands are closer to taiwan than okinawa, btw.
Sure. They're almost the length of the main islands away from what most foreigners would think of as "Japan." What I was saying is that they're not clearly Japanese just by looking at them.
Though while I think the Liancourt Rocks are more properly Korean due to Korea's continued expenditure of resources to populate them, as well as their historical population... the Senkaku from what I've read seem to have been Japanese, then no one's, then Japanese again, and only after their natural resources came to light did the Chinese nations go after them. (Is this right?)
Of course they were not shocked. You are reading something into the article that is not there.
LOL, Japan was THAT shocked when russian president visited Kuril Islands, which is russian territory, and periodically THAT shocked when russian coast guard arresting japanese boats for illegal fishing in russian territorial waters.
Yeah when your government is telling you for ages that those islands belong to you...
Japanese prison is probably better than living in china.
Wow, hello akemi i found you.
They're not shocked, they're just baiting for a response.
There's a reason why that last captain was sent back a free man. If japan did anything more drastic, they'll get a war.
Considering the US Pacific Fleet gives Taiwan, a full militarized island supplied by the US, about 6 weeks to survive in the terms of a PLA invasion, Japan's SDF really can't do crap about an uninhabited and ungarrisoned is;and.
Contrary to popular belief, the US Navy is also not particularly inclined to defend an uninhabited island for their old WWII adversary against their biggest trading partner, especially if Japan gave China the excuse of "abducting Chinese citizens on Chinese soil."
Mostly because those islands have no oil.
(Also, this is why Ishihara's a public danger for Japan. The old buzzer seems to have fogotten that they're surrounded by countried that'd look for any excuse to invade the shit out of them, and the US would also look for any excuse to not participate after the Iraq debacle.
A lot of people assume Japan is worth a lot to the US, it really isn't. The basis of Japan's downturn is because the US imposed the Plaza Accord on Japan, and now with the DPJ trying to push the US from Okinawa, there's literally no more value the US can get out of Japan)
well... all neighboring nations (North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam, China, Taiwan) consider it China's property. Japan just tends to assume that China must not have any islandic property no matter what.
Oh china, planting explosive flags in japanese territories
All the above pictures (not sure about #4) are all taken in Hong Kong.
True story: I got a Canadian Flag pin from Citizenship Canada in a plastic bag that said "Made in China". Wasn't sure whether to laugh or to cry.
Honestly we all sworn to be loyal to our county and our flag but unfortunately most of country flag was made in china so we probably loyal to china hahahaha
I consider them symbols and I leave symbols to the symbol-minded.
George Carlin
Huh? Here (Germany) we're not being sworn to anything, unless we want to become an official or a soldier. I guess these days Germany is the least fascist of them all...
In ANY civilized country, you only have to swear an oath to your country on joining the military or taking public office- or receiving citizenship. If you were BORN there, it's pretty much an inherent right and an assumption that your loyalty is assured.
@08:56
So US is not a civilized country then? I wouldn't really know since I've never been to a US school, but we learned in English classes that American students are required to "pledge allegiance" to the US flag every morning? I never really doubted it since it fits quite well with the wide-spread European image of the average American (i.e. nationalistic nutjob)...
By the way, Germany does not require an oath in order to gain citizenship.
so it was terrorism after all
It was bound to happen sooner or later. I just didn't think it would be sooner than later!
Happened loads of times already.
Count on good ol' Sankaku for critisism and current events.
If they want to be activists so badly, they should worry about China's current human rights violations, not some age-old land disputes that won't get anywhere.
Well, at least the flag planting won't make them "disappear".
Disappeared?
China would probably brand them as heroes
I however congratulate the Coast Guards who arrested them for being on neutral grounds whilst the arrests were made.
I think he meant that if they tried to be human rights activists in China, they would probably "get in an unfortunate accident" or "disappear mysteriously" by the government. Since the thing on Senkaku is part of "national interests" the government would actually support this kinda of activism. >.>
please, look at your own yard before bashing China
China's trash spills over to other countries. Shut the fuck up and clean up your own 1.3 billion human trash and shitty infrastructure.
Are you retarded? More than 65% of the trash and pollutions that is in China is from other countries garbage and outsourced factories. Namely the USA...Hell 50% of our (UK) recyling goes out to China.
Not that China doesn't have trash problem, just saying that the amount of ignorance regarding trash and pollution ownership when China is involved on this website is stupidly high. Though I really should set my expectations much lower in regards to people on this site.
This is SanCom, where white trash who wish they're Japanese gather and fester.
18:54 16/08/2012
23:09 16/08/2012
Come on, guys, don't you know journalists are obliged to go through the trash of countries that want to be famous? Nothing to it.
23:09
See, a specimen called asian specializes in delusional fantasies to comfort themselves from harsh reality.
Good thing their eyes can't see too much - but not even that helps their sky rocketing suicide rates because their people can't deal with reality with some balls.
Things in my yard don't randomly explode.
high time china gets reminded that they can't play high and mighty and claim half of the world as their property. all countries violated by china's excursions and hooliganism to territories they claim should band together and form an army.
except even then it wouldn't match up to one ninths of china's current standing military
Ah you mean that chinese military with its proud history of losing many times even when outnumbering their enemies 4 to 1.
Soldiers don't win wars. Information does. You can have 100 times the army and still lose to a bunch of guerrillas in a way that would make the Empire look good.
They're from HK, they don't have actual human right violation to worry about.
Son, I am from Hong Kong and have you been reading our local news since 3 years ago? No human right violation going on? I have been out posteting since I was 16 and until I moved out of that shit hole. Shit are getting hot in Hong Kong and people get arrested for protesting now. Not to mention the excessive force from the police (which we used to love) and 10 times concentrated papper spray on postesters ( kids and elder people included). They also limited the protest area and make the protesters squeeze into a tiny area like cattles waiting to be slaughtered. No actualy guman right violation my ass. I dare you to fly all the way to my house and say it to my face.
Hong Kong is not the only place that protesters gets bad treatments.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/g20-report-blasts-police-for-unlawful-arrests-civil-rights-violations/article4179372/
Also see other "Occupied{" news and see how protesters get treated badly.
I'll have to say that the percentage of people protesting in Hong Kong is much higher than that say vs North America where people don't give a shit.
People in Hong Kong protest on a regular basis as a pastime, no surprises there.
I live in Hong Kong too, it's not that bad yet. We've had one of the longest Occupy protests going on.
That's because China has been strong-arming HK political system with candidates chosen by Beijing. It's been an issue for the past decade.
Anywho isn't it funny how Taiwan escapes from the inevitable bashing from the Chinese hating Sankaku swarm? I'm just saying. Obvious bias is obvious. Not that anyone who's been on this site for 3 years wouldn't know this by now...
Occupy protests are aimed at corporate fat cats, not the government.
The American government is a front of the corporate fat cats. Anti-corporate protesters get cracked down on here in America, for the same reason anti-government protesters get cracked down on in China.
American officials don't mind if it's the government itself taking flak, that's what they're paid for. They'll attack when their owners are targeted though.
Inb4 someone from Libya comes and laughs at all of you for thinking trying to protest in your country is harsh.
Can't agree more. With most people in Chin they a;ways point out the tiniest flaw in other country and they ignore their own huge problem. If someone points out about it they cry from anger.
And you just happened to find a solution to make one of the biggest country in this world a better place, well I'm quite envy of you.
I hope you're not American because USA really don't have a leg to stand on when it comes to picking out flaws of others (PLENTY American commenters proved that point on Sankaku) and throwing tantrums when they're critisized in general...hypocrisy, double standards and ignorance sure doesn't cherry pick.
I'm British, we have many flaws thanks to our greedy ass government and we ain't no holy figure when it comes to being elitist. But even we don't hold a candle to Americans in having a superiority complex, especially American media which seems to remind itself how great the USA is COMPARED to every country out there every bloody minute.
It's called patriotism, which countries have to varying degrees. Unfortunately, the more standout your country's history is, the stronger it tends to get. China for example is riding its wave of political fervor which is backed by its sizable military force. They can say whatever they want, its not like others are willing to stand up to them on the same footing.
That's a silly ad hominem. Weather the parent poster is American or not doesn't mean he agrees with US policies.
Sure, the majority is poorly educated and brainwashed, but they also have plenty of smart people who are critical of their government.
It's not hypocrisy to rebuke others for a mistake you are doing, if you acknowledge that mistake as such.
And no, I'm not American. I've never been on US soil and I don't have the slightest intention to put my life into the hands of a police state oligarchy.
Well, I am from Hong Kong and I personally don’t like these guys and don’t support for what they were doing. I do agree with you statement that they should focus more on other issues. However, It is unfair to say that they had done nothing about China’s human right issue without doing a little research. They do actually worry about it, protested againist it all the time and get arrested by the Chinese Officials all the time. They had tons of “crimmal records” and got locked up a few times already. I don’t know how the hell you can get +0.8 up vote for condemning they had done nothing about China’s human rights (while the fact is opposite). Seems like some people are just too eager to judge some other people even they don’t know their names. Btw, who the hell Im kidding with? It is San Com.
I know it is confusing for other from around world to understand our realtionship with China. Hong Know activities are generally againist the Chinese communist party. Some of them may agree with the Chienese official that Senkaku Island is historically belong to China (not the party). Some of them don’t. I personally don’t know and don’t care about this issue. But on the other issues, for instance, the human rights and the educational reform in Hong Kong which is simply trying to brain wash our kids. We have been postesting and trying to force the local government not to comply to the central government.
P.S. to prove that you are wrong about they are just Chinese Official hugging old farts who don’t care about human rights, check out the following online radio station they work with. This station is banned by Chinese government and can only be accessed outside of mainland China. (not all of the shows are politics related but I doubt how many of you understand Cantonese, Im probably wasting my time to explain all these to you guys. ) http://new2012.hkreporter.com/
^ This.
A Hong Kong citizen who knows what he's talking about.
Also A LOT of mainlanders don't agree with the party government too, however human rights wrongdoings just aren't something you correct overnight.
That's why it is somewhat suspicious. Maybe it's a three-sided agreement to develop the islands so that the Yankees stay out of the picture. Almost unthinkable, but...
HK people LOOOVE to bitch about human rights. Nah, scratch that, they just couldn't stand the fact that that mother Britain left them behind in 1997 to the evil communists (brainwash at its finest). Want evidence? A shitload of Hongers ran away to other countries in 1997. Honger activists are little kids constantly crying for candy, the more China gave them, the more they whine. But you know what? Keep protesting, that's what protesters do in the west. It's not gonna help the issue, but it could relief your superiority complex.
BTW, those "activists" enjoy participating in any and all events. They appear during protests against human right issues, they appear as brave Hongers sticking flags on islands, etc. They bend over for anyone who can shed enough cash to hire them. Essentially, they're nothing but a bunch of greedy gold diggers. Human rights? Fuck that, if you pay me $500 an hour to counter-protest those who protest human right issues, we'll gladly do it for ya!
Another Hongkonger's here. You guys should listen to this gentleman because what he said is absolutely true.
Before anything, just get rid of that ridiculous money grubbing habbit of yours. I have never seen people more eager to prove their own stereotypes right.
no these guys arent activists. chinese ppl never do anything other than for money. they most likely got paid to plant that flag there by someone who could profit from it. money is everything.
does that mean that occupy wall street isn't composed of activists? probably. they do protest about money.
Not that you must be wrong, but... I mean, football fans in European cities engage in similar feats regularly just because it feeds their sense of fulfillment.
It may even be a parody of some moon landings. Your call, really.
Human right issues are our fucking own business, we thank your for your careness on our living rights but commenting here has nothing to change right? I doubt any of you had really helped a Chinese people? Don't you fuckin pretend to be so kind about" human rights" and scorning people,the integraty of our land is another right as important as human rights, we fight tyranny as well as invaders, no matter who they are. Years ago Japs had done so much filthy things in China, and today they are still so coward to admit it. I would say you Japs who comments here instead of standing on the island as our 14 heroes are real cowards...fucking cowards...go home and fuck yourselves.
X - we fight tyranny as well as invaders, no matter who they are.
○ - we invade no matter who they are.
LOL move along nothing to see above but a dead brain sheep.
LOL move along classical Sankaku japan-worshipper
LoL another sheep. :P
Do no interfere in our internal right to rape murder and beat our citizens at will in order to maintain our greedy fat asses in power. We are the PRC!
We will conquer the world by making 3rd rate products cheaply that explode and poison people and the environment.
We will steal you technology and you ideas because we are too regimented and brainwashed to come up with anything original on our own.
The only thing original we can up with is ways to annoy the rest of the planet with our infantile behavior and threats.
You see it's a genetic flaw in the Chinese character to be like a rude and obnoxious woman until someone bitch slaps us into proper behavior.
HAHAHAHAHA so true.
Hear that ch!nks?
Actually Chinese would be happy if people were constructively "interfering" and helping remove the fatasses in power. But idiots who only bitch in comments and make racist remarks are a wholly different matter.
Gee, because most of these idiots have the power to help with your problems. We all know that people from sancom have the power to do something other than bitch in comments, they just refuse to use it.
OH WAIT. Most of the people on here couldn't even afford to get to China, much less improve it's political situation. Making snide remarks doesn't help anyone either jackass.
Your 'civilization' has a long and glorious history of being fucked by outnumbered, outgunned minorities along your borders who have turned your ancestors into cum dumps for a long time. Present day chinese are a mongrel race that is too stupid to even understand their own language and needs to simplify it to meet their limited capacity for understanding. Not to mention, people in Indonesia turned your women into whores in 1998.
Go bitch some more we find your helpless wailing to be very amusing, as does other people of the world. ^__^
Heroes? You call a bunch of idiots who live in the past, cause nothing but trouble, and make the entire China look like a country of morons "heroes"? Seems like China's standards for heroism are as low as your product safety standards, eh?
That's like saying nobody is allowed to be activist for anything else because Somalia is under anarchy.
Feel free to try to convince protesters, any protesters, that they should stop whatever they are doing and support causes you think are more important instead.
For people who take it from the beginning that China's a fascist state intent on land-grubbing there's just no convincing them to hear the other side of the story. And every argument you make sounds to them like denial and anger.
We got human rights problems? Sure. Does that have anything to do with territorial integrity? No.
For the record, like in the case of the spratly islands people are still trying to solve this diplomatically (the PLA does have the capability of marching on the Philippines if it wanted to, it's not that hard figuring it out), and it's real funny seeing ppl around here doing absolutely nothing constructive and shouting out for war.
But it doesn't have the capability to deal with the diplomatic fallout. Marching in foreign sovereign territory is what most people would consider, an act of all out war.
If China is willing to do that over a bunch of dead land, then why wouldn't they invade your own country over meaningful things like industrial complexes and resources?
Chinese leadership may be unscrupulous, but they are not stupid. They are not going to ignite a world war over nothing. Besides, the propaganda worth of the situation is far too delicious.
Guess what? You're on Sankaku. He wouldn't post a story about activists fighting for civil rights in China.