Chinese NGO to claim Diaoyu Islands from Japan

A Shenzhen businessman has been raising funds for more than 10 years to establish a professional legal team, in a bid to sue Japan at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the country's violation of the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Declaration.

Zhao Dong, the organizer of the Chinese National Liuqiu Special Administration Preparatory Committee, is expected to urge Japan to return the sovereignty of Diaoyu and Liuqiu Islands, according to the two historic declarations.

Experts say that it is the first time that a Chinese NGO has made plans to take advantage of the ICJ to claim back Liuqiu.

Zhao registered a non-governmental organization called the Chinese National Liuqiu Special Administration Preparatory Committee, dedicated to preparing for the appeal of Liuqiu Islands to China from Japan.

After the arbitration of the China South Sea, the ownership and definition on the islands of the South Sea have become a hot topic in the International community.

Zhao said that Japan had already violated the rules in the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations, with the partial protection from the US, occupying Chinese territory for a long time. It is just and reasonable to sue Japan to the ICJ and claim back Chinese land.

According the Cairo Declaration, signed in 1943, the territory that Japan had taken by force from China, including the four provinces in China Northeast, Taiwan and Penghu Islands should be returned. It also says that any land taken by Japan by force be given back and Japanese troops expelled.

The Potsdam Declaration, signed two years later, reiterates the rules of the Cairo Declaration, stating that the conditions in the Cairo Declaration should be implemented and Japan should only hold sovereignty on Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido islands.

On Sept 2, 1945, in the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, Japan explicitly accepted the Potsdam Declaration and promised to obey its rules and conditions.

Zhao said that Liuqiu is an unsolved problem at present. According to the two declarations, Liuqiu Islands did not belong to Japan and other small islands cannot be occupied without the approval signatures of China, the US and the UK.

However, Japan continued to occupy the Diaoyu and Liuqiu Islands with partial help of American protection. China and the UK did not agree with the occupation of Japan.

In terms of International Law, Zhao said that Japan had violated the law and the US and UN should take related responsibilities. He also planned to sue the US alongside Japan.

Zhao said that as a member of the Chinese nation, he should take the obligation to safeguard the sovereignty of China and take action to claim back Liuqiu Islands.

Zhao Dong, the organizer of the Chinese National Liuqiu Special Administration Preparatory Committee, plans to sue Japan to the International Court of Justice for violating the sovereignty of China. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Liuqiu Islands as seen from a map. [Photo provided to China Daily]