Guifang (Julia) XUE *

Transcription

1 How MuchCanaRockGet? How MuchCanaRockGet? A ReflectionfromtheOkinotorishimaRocks Guifang (Julia) XUE * Abstract:ThepaperexaminestheOkinotorishimaRocksandtheirentitle- mentingeneratingextendedjurisdictionalzones,togetherwithissuesaggrava- tedbyjapan sexcessivenationalclaims.basedontheokinotorishimarocks, Japanclaimsa00nauticalmileExclusiveEconomicZone (EEZ)andanextendedcontinentalshelf (ECS).Thepracticehascaused disagreementand concernsfromtheinternationalcommunity. Thepaperstartswithabriefintroductiononthe OkinotorishimaRocks andthe maritimezoneclaimscomposedbyjapanbasedonthetinyrocksagainsttheislandregimeenvisagedinthe United NationsConventiononthe LawoftheSea(UNCLOS).ThisisfolowedbyageneralreviewoftheJapa- neseatemptstopromotetheokinotorishimarocksintolegalislands(simpli- fiedas islandisation )soastosupportitsnationalclaimsofmultiplepurpo- ses.thepapercontinueswithanilustrationofthejapaneseviewsandargu- mentsinmaintainingitsclaimandislandisationpracticeovertheokinotorishi- marocks.thepaperraisessomeofthekeyquestionsassociatedwiththejap- aneseislandisationatempts.theseinclude whetherornotrocksaredistiṉ guishablefromislandsbasedontheexistinginternationallaw.howshouldthe UNCLOSbeimplementedandhow shouldtheconcernsoftheinternational communityberespected? How wilthecommissiononthelimitsofthecoṉ tinentalshelfaccomplishitsrole withanapplicabledecision? Afteryearsof heavy,deliberateexpansion,aretheokinotorishimarocksstilnaturalrocksor maṉmadeartificialstructures? ThepaperconcludesthattheOkinotorishimaRocksdonotqualifyaslegal * Guifang (Julia)Xue,Director/Professor/Ph.D.,InstitutefortheLawoftheSea,Ocean UniversityofChina.Theviewsexpressedinthispaperarenotrepresentingthatofany governmentagencies. juliaxue@ouc.edu.cn.

2 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) islands,andarenotentitledtoextendedjurisdictionalzones.moreover,what Japanhasconstructedaroundtherockshaschangedtheirnaturalstatusand theexpandedconcretestructureshaveturnedtherocksintoartificialislandsor artificialstructureswhichdeserveonlya500-metersafetyzone. Meanwhile,thepaperpointsouttheprofoundimplicationsandfaṟreachingimpactreflectedfrom thejapaneseclaimsbasedonthe Okinotorishima Rocks.Therushbystatesto makeecssubmissionshascreatedarealcrisis forinternationallawandthedeepseabedregime.theinternationalcommunity asawholeshouldworktogethertodealwiththiscrisis. Key Words:Rocks;Islands;Okinotorishima;Japan;Extendedcontinental shelf Ⅰ.Introduction:Japan sclaimsonokinotorishimarocks andtheregimeofislands JapansignedtheUnitedNationsConventionontheLawoftheSea(UN- CLOS)on7February98andratifiediton0June996. Afteryearsof preparation,japanmadeasubmission (thesubmission)onnovember008 tothecommissiononthelimitsofthecontinentalshelf(hereinafterreferred toasclcs)regardingtheouterlimitofitscontinentalshelves,which were calculatedas740,000squarekilometers,orabouttwicethesizeofitslandteṟ ritory (78,000). AccordingtotheJapaneseExecutiveSummarycontainingalchartsand coordinates,sevenregionsareincluded,namely,southern Kyushu-PalauRidge Region (KPR),Minami-Io To Island Region (MIT),Minami-ToriShima (MTS),MogiSeamountRegion (MGS),OgasawaraPlateau Region (OGP), TheUNCLOSwassignedonDecember0,98andenteredintoforceonNovember6, 994.Foralistofratifications,athtp:// ological_lists_of_ratifications.htm#,0december00.60statesandtheeuropeanunionhadratifiedoraccededtotheunclos.theconventionenteredintoforceforjapan on0july996. RegardingtheworkoftheCLCS,seeitswebsiteathtp:// new/clcs_home.htm.japanwasthe th countrytosubmitthedataandinformationto theclcsinnovember008.thecommissionbeganitsexaminationofjapan ssubmissionatthemeetinginaugust009,athtp:// ṗhp, 0June0.

3 How MuchCanaRockGet? SouthernOki-DaitoRidgeRegion(ODR),andShikokuBasinRegion(SKB). Theextendedcontinentalshelf(ECS)claimsofKPR,MIT,andSKBarebased onacoupleofrockscaledokinotorishima,ormoreprecisely,theokinotorisẖ imarocks. Thissubmissionhasintensifieddiscussionsandconcernsfromthe internationalcommunity. Sincetheearly980s,Japanhasbeenputingenormousefortsintotheislandisationofthe Okinotorishima Rocks,andhasclaimedan ExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ)aroundtheserocksupto00nmfromaldirectionsandevenrecentlyclaimedanextendedcontinentalshelfbeyond00nm. Through thissubmission,japanexpectstoconfirmitseezclaimsof40,000square kilometersinadditionto,550squarekilometersofterritorialsea,andanecs inthreeregionsbasedontheokinotorishimarocks. 4 Thefarthestareasbased onthe OkinotorishimaRocksextendupto550nauticalmiles,togetherwith rightstoenforceonmaritimeactivitiesandresourceswithintheclaimedzones. ItmayberecaledthattheregimeofislandsisestablishedbyArticle oftheunclos. 5 Inthisarticle,ParagraphrepeatsthedefinitionofanislandprovidedinArticle0ofthe958ConventionontheTerritorialSeaand ContiguousZone.Italsosetsforththeprimarycriteriaofan island,namely, itmustbeanaturalfeature,anareaofland,surroundedby water,andabove waterathightide.italso disqualifiesartificialislandsandlowṯideeleva- 4 5 FortheExecutiveSummaryofJapan ssubmission,athtp:// clcs_new/submissions_files/jpn08/jpn_execsummaryṗdf,0june0. Shima injapanesemeans island,butjapancaledit OkinotorishimaIslands inits Submission.Tomatchthisexpression, OkinotorishimaRocks isadoptedinthispaper. OPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008 (Japanese),athtp:// pdf,0june0. YukieYoshikawa,Okinotorishima:JusttheTipoftheIceberg,HarvardAsianQuarteṟ ly,vol.9,no.4,005,athtp://asiaquarterly.com/006/0/0/i-/,5january 0. Articlereadsinful:()Anislandisanaturalyformedareaofland,surroundedby water,whichisabovewaterathightide.()exceptasprovidedforinparagraph,the territorialsea,thecontiguouszone,theexclusiveeconomiczoneandthecontinentalshelf ofanislandaredeterminedinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthisconventionapplicable tootherlandterritory.()rockswhichcannotsustainhumanhabitationoreconomiclife oftheirownshalhavenoexclusiveeconomiczoneorcontinentalshelf.seetheunited NationsConventionontheLawoftheSea,0December98,8U.N.T.S..

4 4 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) tions. Paragraphreflectsthe landdominatesthesea principleandconfirms thesametreatmentofislandascontinentallandterritoryregardingits maritimezones,namely,territorialsea,contiguouszone,eez,andcontinentalshelf. ThesezonesaretobedeterminedinaccordancewiththeUNCLOSandinthe samemannerasapplicabletolandterritory. Paragraphisacriticalpartofthe Article.Itexcludes rocks which cannotsustainhumanhabitationoreconomiclifeoftheirown fromapplicationinthedeterminationofeezandecsjurisdiction.the mainpurposeof Article ()istoguaranteethattheregimeofislandsinparagraphsand isnotapplicabletotinyrocksandisletsonthebasisthattheyareessentialy diferentintermsofthenaturalconditionsnecessaryforsupportingnormalhumanlife.inthisrespect,the UNCLOSdiferentiatesbetween islands and rocks. Havingunderstoodtheprovisionanditsconnotations,Japantriedinvain todeletearticle ()duringthenegotiationoftheunclos. Toadjust thedisadvantagedstatusof Okinotorishimaasrocks,Japan hasventuredto workoverdecadesinturningthemintoislands.whatjapanhasachievedfrom thesetinyrocksisbeyondevaluationatthepresentstage.however,itisworth notingtheimpactofitsislandisationandexcessiveeezand ECSclaimson StatePractice. Ⅱ.OkinotorishimaRocksandtheJapanese IslandisationAtempts TheOkinotorishimaRockshavecometointernationalatentionsincethe 980s,and discussionshavefocused onthesubjectoflegalstatusandthe weightaccordedtomaritimezones.abriefintroductionisprovidedbelow. SeeCenterforOceanLawandPolicy,UniversityofVirginiaSchoolofLaw,United NationsConventionontheLawoftheSea98,aCommentary,Vol.Ⅲ,TheHague:MartinusNijhof,995,p.8. SeeCenterforOceanLawandPolicy,UniversityofVirginiaSchoolofLaw,United NationsConventionontheLawoftheSea98,aCommentary,Vol.Ⅲ,TheHague:MartinusNijhof,995,p.8. SeeCenterforOceanLawandPolicy,UniversityofVirginiaSchoolofLaw,United NationsConventionontheLawoftheSea98,aCommentary,Vol.Ⅲ,TheHague:MartinusNijhof,995,p.7.

5 How MuchCanaRockGet? 5 A.TheOkinotorishimaRocks Okinotorishima( 沖ノ鳥島 : おきのとりしま injapanese),locatedinthe westernpacificocean,,740kilometersfromthejapanese mainland,consists of5atolreefsthatwereoriginalycaled PareceVela byaspanishsailorin 565,as itlookslikeasail. It waslatercaled Douglas Reef aftera BritishnavigatorWiliam Douglasin789. ItislocatedontheKyushu-Palau RidgeinthePhilippineSeaatthecoordinatesof0 5 N6 05 E/0.47, Itis54kilometersSEofOkiDaitō,567kilometersWSWofMinamiIwoJimaoftheOgasawaraIslandsor,740kilometerssouthofTokyo,Japan. 4 NooficialrecordexistsinJapanaboutOkinotorishimapriorto888.In 9and95,Japaninvestigatedtheareaandconfirmedin9thatnoother countrieshadclaimsandthusdeclaredthereefsitsterritory. 5 Administratively,JapanplaceditunderthejurisdictionoftheTokyoMetropolisaspartofthe OgasawaraIslands,andgaveitanewJapanesenameOkinotorishima( remote 4 5 See Wikipedia,athtp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinotorishima,6 March0. See Wikipedia,athtp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinotorishima,6February0.Both PareceVela and DouglassReef arestilusedtoday. Forrelevantpapersonthisaccount,seeYanṉhueiSong,Okinotorishima:A Rock oran Island? Recent MaritimeBoundaryControversybetweenJapanand Taiwan/China,in Seoug-YongHongandJon M.Van Dykeed.,MaritimeBoundary Disputes,Setlement Proceses,andtheLawoftheSea,Leiden:MartinusNijhofPublishers,009;J.I.CHAR- NEY,RocksthatcannotSustain Human Habitation,AmericanJournalofInternational Law,Vol.9,999,pp.86~878. See Wikipedia,athtp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinotorishima,6February0.Both PareceVela and DouglassReef arestilusedtoday. SongisoftheviewthatitwasdebatableJapanclaimedtheOkinotorishimacoralreefsuṉ deritssovereigntyfromtheinternationallawviewpointintheearly90s.seeyanṉhuei Song,Okinotorishima:A Rock oran Island? RecentMaritimeBoundaryControversy betweenjapanandtaiwan/china,inseoug-yonghongandjon M.VanDykeed.,MaritimeBoundaryDisputes,SetlementProceses,andtheLawoftheSea,Leiden:Martinus NijhofPublishers,009;Moreover,accordingtoParagraph8ofthePotsdam Proclamation,Japan ssovereignty waslimitedtotheislandsof Honshu,Hokkaido,Kyushu,and Shikoku.Thus,JapanesesovereigntyovertheOkinotorishimaiscontroversialandquestionable.Fordetails,see Potsdam Declaration (UnitedStates,China,UnitedKingdom): AStatementofTermsfortheUnconditionalSurrenderofJapan,6July945,athtp:// pwencycl.kgbudge.com/p/o/potsdam_declaration.htm,0june0.

6 6 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) birdislands or thesouthernmostislandsofjapan ). Therocksareinthewesternpartofato4.6meteṟdeeplagoonsurrouṉ dedbyasubmergedcoralreef,andextend4.5kilometerseasṯwestand.7 kilometersnortẖsouth,withanareaofroughly5squarekilometerswithinthe rimofthereef,mostofwhicharesubmergedevenatlowtide. Thefringing reefispeaṟshapedinaneasṯwestdirectionwithitsgreatestwidthattheeasṯ ernend.asmalboatchannelintothelagoonwasmadeinthesouthwest,about5 meterswideand6 metersdeep,50 meterssoutheastoftherocks. Typhoonsanderosionareconstantthreatstothereef sexistence.afew decadesago,therewereaboutfivevisibleprotrusions.nowadays,onlytwotinyindividualrocksmaybetraceable,namely:higashikojima(easternexposed Rock,Japancalsit EasternIslet )andkitakojima(northernexposedrock, Japancalsit NorthernIslet )locatedsomewhattothewest. Athightide, theeasternexposedrockisroughlythesizeofatwinbedandpokesjust6 centimetersoutoftheocean,andthe Northern Exposed Rockislessthana smalbedroom only6centimetersabove water. 4 From sateliteimages,the twooriginalrocksappearcompletelyartificial,withnotraceofthetwonatural rocksthatstilappearedonphotographsof YukieYoshikawa,Okinotorishima:JusttheTipoftheIceberg,HarvardAsianQuarteṟ ly,vol.9,no.4,005,athtp://asiaquarterly.com/006/0/0/i-/,9 February 0. See Wikipedia,athtp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinotorishima,8February0. SeeYanṉhueiSong,Okinotorishima:A Rock oran Island? RecentMaritimeBoundaryControversybetweenJapanandTaiwan/China,inSeoug-Yong HongandJon M.Van Dykeed.,MaritimeBoundary Disputes,SetlementProceses,andtheLawoftheSea, Leiden:MartinusNijhofPublishers,009;Seealso MartinFackler,A ReeforaRock? QuestionPutsJapanIna HardPlaceToClaim Disputed Waters,CharityTriestoFind UseForOkinotoriShima,WalStreetJournal,6February005,p.A.Itisnotclear whenjapanchangedthenameofthoserocks:inthe PortraitofOkinotorishima (hṯ tp:// Easṯ ernexposedrock and Northern Exposed Rock werestilused,butsince005,the EasternIslet and NorthernIslet havebeenusedinrelevantdiscussionsanddocuments.itisassumedthatthenameswerechangedin004. SeeYanṉhueiSong,Okinotorishima:A Rock oran Island? RecentMaritimeBoundaryControversybetweenJapanandTaiwan/China,inSeoug-Yong HongandJon M.Van Dykeed.,MaritimeBoundary Disputes,SetlementProceses,andtheLawoftheSea, Leiden:MartinusNijhofPublishers,009.

7 How MuchCanaRockGet? 7 B.Japan sislandisationatempts Tostoptherocksfrom disappearingandtokeepthemabovewateratal timesandtousethemtoextendtothe maximum ofitseezandcontinental shelf,japanhastriedwithgreateforttomaketheokinotorishimarocksmeet theminimumcriteriaofan island inlegalterms.thejapaneseatemptsin thisaccountcanbedividedintothreeperiods(forspecificdetails,seetheatachedannex:okinotorishima:historyandevents). Startingfromthediscoveryoftherockstothelate970s,Japanclaimed itssovereigntyovertherocksand madesomeinitialexplorationonthenature andpotentialutilization oftherocks,includingtheconstruction ofa Naval Base. InposṯWorld War I,Japanlostitssovereigntyovertherockstothe UnitedStatesbutregaineditinthelate960s. ThisenabledJapantocontiṉ ueitsinvestigationoftherocks. TherocksdidnotatractmuchatentionintheJapanesegovernmentuntil thelate970swhencoastalstatesstartedtoclaimtheireezs.japanextended itsfisheriesjurisdictioninthesurrounding watersoftherocksupto00nm fromtheterritorialseabaselinesinaccordance withits Law on Provisional MeasuresRelatingtotheFishingZonethatwentintoforceonJuly977. Thefishingzonecoversanareaofapproximately400,000squarekilometers,an areaconsiderablylargerthanthetotallandofthecountry. 4 Thisstimulated Japaneseenthusiasmoverthegaingeneratedbythelitlerocks.Theactionaḻ sosignifiedthesecondperiodofjapan sislandisationactionstil004. In98,JapansignedtheUNCLOS,concludedinthepreviousyear,which 4 TheconstructionoftheNavalBasestartedin99,butwasinterruptedin94bythe outbreakofworld WarⅡ.Asitseemedinappropriatetoopenlybuildamilitaryfacility intheinternationalclimateatthattime,thegovernmentdecidedtorefertothebaseexteṟ nalyas alighthouseanda meteorologicalobservationsite. See Wikipedia,athtp:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/okinotorishima,8february0. Andrew L,Silverstein,Okinotorishima:ArtificialPreservationofaSpeckofSovereignty, BrooklynJournalofInternationalLaw,Vol.,No.,009,pp.409~4,p.40. SeeKiyofumiNakauchiandLawoftheSeaInstitute,Japan,Emergy(sic)Measuresfor Protectingthe Oki-noṯori-Shima Islandfrom WavesinJapan soceanafairs Ocean Regime,PolicyandDevelopment,September989. SeeKiyofumiNakauchiandLawoftheSeaInstitute,Japan,Emergy(sic)Measuresfor Protectingthe Oki-noṯori-Shima Islandfrom WavesinJapan soceanafairs Ocean Regime,PolicyandDevelopment,September989.

8 8 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) establishedtheeezregime.basedonitspossessionofokinotorishima,japan couldtransferitsformerfishingzonetoaneezofthesamesize.however,the mostseriousissuethejapanesegovernmentfeared wasthattherockscould submergeandnotlieabovesealevel.thiswoulddefeatexclusivejurisdiction relatednotonlytoa00nm EEZinwatersaroundthem,butalsoacontinental shelfclaim beyond00nm.since987,thejapanesegovernment,represented byvariousgovernmentalagenciesandscientificinstitutions,undertookemeṟ gencymeasuresleadingtoparticularlynoticeableislandisationmovements. In 987,the sealevelrisetheory was employed and evidences were sought,andaproposalwasraisedtobuildconstructionstopreventthephysical erosionoftherockfromsubmersiontherebykeepingtherocksabovewaterfor makingmaritimeclaims.inthesameyear,thejapanesegovernmentlaunched anembankmentbuildingproject. During987-99,thegovernmentofTokyoandlatertheCentralGovernmentbuiltsteelbreakwatersandconcretewalsof50 metersindiameter, andtheoriginalrocks (Higashikojimaand Kitakojima)werecompletelycoveredbyartificialconcretestructurestostoptheerosion. In998,acovering costingeightbilionyenwasplacedontheeasternexposedrock. In988,Japan s MarineScienceand TechnologyCentererecteda marine investigationfacility,aplatformonstiltslocatedintheshalowpartofthelagoon,whichappearedasarectangleof00 metersby50 meters. Theplaṯ On8 February00,Japan modifieditscoastlaw adoptedon May 956. AccordingtoArticle7(),theCentralGovernmenttookovertheaḏ formsupportsahelicopterlandingpadandalarge,three-storybuildingformarineinvestigationsaswelasameteorologicalstation. ministrationtasksfortheartificialstructure.from004onwards,thethirdperiodofnationalislandisationefortsstartedina muchenhanced mannerwith morecomprehensiveeforts.repairworkontheembankmentwasapproved withsignificantfundingandaseriesofresearchandobservationprojectsbegan ontherocksandtheirsurroundingwaters. 4 4 In95,therewerestilfiveabove-waterrocks,whichhaveerodedsince.See Wikipedia, athtp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/okinotorishima,5 March0. In95,therewerestilfiveabove-waterrocks,whichhaveerodedsince.See Wikipedia, athtp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/okinotorishima,5 March0. Athtp://law.e-govġo.jp/htmldata/S/SHO0.html(Japanese),5 March0. YukieYoshikawa,Okinotorishima:JusttheTipoftheIceberg,HarvardAsianQuarteṟ ly,vol.9,no.4,005,athtp://asiaquarterly.com/006/0/0/i-/,5 March0.

9 How MuchCanaRockGet? 9 In004,the nd OceanForum organizedbythe OceanPolicy Research Foundation (OPRF)washeldfocusingonthestatusandregenerationofOkinotorishima. Areportwassubsequentlyissuedontherehabilitationofthe rocksandanelectronicbaselinecoordinatewassetup. Since004,confeṟ enceson Okinotorishimarelatedissueshavebeenarrangedbythe OPRFas regularforums. InNovember004and March005,theNipponFoundationdispatcheda missiontoinvestigatehowtoutilizeokinotorishimaandthesurroundingeez, andmission membersincludedexpertsinthefieldsoftheinternationallaw, coralreefecologyandconstruction. 4 Thesuggestionsinthereportinclude:to buildalighthousesoastoaddthenameokinotorishimainthechartsaround theglobeandtoenhanceitspresence;toexpandthesizeoftherocksbycoral breedingandvariousotherwaystodevelopanartificialreef;tobuildanoceaṉ thermalenergyconservationpowerplanttoatractfish,which wassaidtobe thefirstsuchexperimentintheworld: 5 toexploremineralresourcesintheaḏ jacentseabed;tobuildsocialinfrastructuresuchasaportandhousesforhumanhabitation,marinestudies,anddevelopment;andtopromotesightseeing. 6 In005,asecondmissionwasconductedbytheNipponFoundationfocusingon feasibilitystudiesonthe mostpromisingfieldsof marineengineering,power generation,andlighthousebuilding. 7 StimulatedbytheefortsandresearchoutcomesoftheNipponFoundation and OPRF,Japaneseoficialsandpoliticianshavesuccessfulyatracted more Athtp:// March0. HajimeKayane,SubmergedatolsandtheirregeneratioṉTerritorialpreservationofisland statesinthepacific OceanandislandsalongtheJapaneseborder,Newsleter,No.99, 004,OPRF,athtp:// ṗhp#0,0june0. Formoredetailson OPRF,athtp:// ṗhp,0june0;for activityreports,see OPRF,athtp:// June 0. NipponFoundation,The Reporton Promoting Economic Activitiesin Okinotorishima (Japanese),005,athtp://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/004/00009/contents/000. htm,6 March0. ShintaroIshihara swebsite:htp:// mayor.html, 6 March0. NipponFoundation,TheReportonUtilizationofOkinotorishima(Japanese),005,athṯ tp://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/004/00004/mokuji.htm,6 March0. NipponFoundation,The Reporton Promoting Economic Activitiesin Okinotorishima (Japanese),005,athtp://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/004/00009/contents/000. htm,7 March0.

10 0 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) atentionfromthecentralgovernmentaltotherocks. In005,theCentral Governmentdecidedtobuildalighthouse, instaleda0 milionyenradar systemforrounḏthe-clocksurveilancetodetectvesselsapproachingokinotorishima, repairedtheheliport,andsetupanoficialaddressplateatthe island reading Okinotori,OgasawaraVilage,Tokyo. 4 Despiteprotestsby environmentalists,governorishiharaoftokyodecidedtobuildapowerstation. 5 Fishingexpeditionswerealsosenttodemonstratetheexistenceof economiclife ontherocks. 6 On6 March007,alightbeaconwasinstaledby Japan scoastguardandstartedoperation;later,thebeacon wasplotedona hydrographicchart.okinotorishimahasbecomeanintermitentralyingpoint forjapanesenationalists,andahoṯbutonpoliticalissueinjapan. 7 Inadditiontotheconcreteprotectionactions,Japanlaunchedaseriesof campaignstoraisepublicawarenessonthesignificanceofokinortorishima. 8 Suchefortsincludetheproductionofapublic-oriented movie Okinotorishima:MiraculousIslands. 9 The70-minute movie wasreleasedin December 007and was madewidelyavailableincinemas,libraries,informationcenters etc. InJanuary00,theJapanesegovernmentduringaregularDietsession submiteda new bilfortheprotection ofjapan ssouthernmost Okinotori coastlinetopreservetheireezclaimsandinterest.in May00,Japanadopṯ MartinFackler,A ReeforaRock? QuestionPutsJapaninaHardPlace;ToClaim Disputed Waters,CharityTriestoFindUseforOkinotoriShima,WalStreetJournal,6Feḇ ruary005. JapanplanstoputlighthouseondisputedPacificisle,KyodoNews,4August005. JapantoestablishsurveilancesystemonOkinotoriIsland,BritishBroadcastingCorporation,6 May005. JapansetsupaddressplateoncontroversialreefinPacific,XinhuaNewsAgency,0June 005. May005 Governor Visits OkinotoriIslands,athtp:// magazine/no6.html,8 March0.SeealsothepaperwritenbyGovernorIshihara, StrategicSignificanceofOkinotorishima,athtp:// BoatreturnsafterfishingneardisputedOkinotoriIsland,KyodoNews,9April005. YukieYoshikawa,Okinotorishima:JusttheTipoftheIceberg,HarvardAsianQuarteṟ ly,vol.9,no.4,005,athtp://asiaquarterly.com/006/0/0/i-/,9 March 0. SeePRFoceanforumsandrelevantactivities,athtp:// March0. Athtp:// ThemovieconsistsofsixpartscoveringbasicalyeveryaspectofOkinotorishima,suchas location,history,weather,marineenvironment,resources,significance,andprotectionefforts.

11 How MuchCanaRockGet? edthelawforthereservationoflow TideLineandMaintenanceofFoothold Facilities. Throughthispieceofnationallegislation,theprotectionofOkinotorishimarocksisexpectedtobefurtherenhancedtonewrecordlevels. C.IncentivesofJapan sokinotorishimaislandisation JapanhasbeeninvestingmoneyonthedevelopmentoftheOkinotorishima Rockssince9withsomeintervals,including85bilionyen (approximately 740 milionusdolars)inbuildingandmaintainingaresidenceattheobservationsite.in987,japanencasedthereefswith $80milionworthofconcrete topreventthemfrom beingcompletelywashedawayandcoveredthesmaler onewith $50 milionusdtitaniumnettoshielditfromdebristhrownupby theoceanwaves. In005,Japanalocated0milionyenforthelighthouseandobservation site.thefolowingyearanother$7.55miliondolarswasinvestedfortheregenerationofcoralreefsand40milionyenforjapan scoastguardtoinstal asolaṟpoweredbeacon.since007,japanhasexpandedthelargescaleregeṉ erationofcoralreefsandusedsanḏcreatingelectrodestosave Okinotorishima. Accordingtoamediareporton9 April008,theJapaneseGovernment plannedtoinvest770milionyenoverthreeyearstofarmthecoralreefaround Okinotorishima.Alongṯermplanisbeingcarriedouttomakefuluseofthe rocks. In00,theJapanesegovernmentdevelopedaplanfor Okinotorishima reefmanagementandmaintenance.thisplanaimstoupgradethebank maiṉ tenancefromannualvisualinspectiontomoreefectivemeasurestoensurethe survivaloftheconcretestructuresfrom harshnaturalconditionssuchaserosion,typhoonsandwaves. ThisisanabbreviatednameoftheLaw.Itsfulnameis: Lawconcerningpreservationof lowtidelineandmaintenanceandothersoffootholdfacilitiesforprotectionandpromotion ofutilizationoftheexclusiveeconomiczoneandthecontinentalshelf.see Japanenacts lawtopreservejapan seez (Japan Today,Kyodo,6 May00);OPRF MARINT MonthlyReport(May00),DietenactslawtopreserveJapan seez,athtp://www. japantoday.com/category/politics/view/diet-enacts-law-to-preserve-japans-eez, p.,0june0. Governmentwilusesanḏcreatingelectrodestosave Okinotorishima,athtp://www. japanprobe.com/008/09//government-wil-use-sand-creating-electrodes-tosave-okinotorishima/,0 March0. Athtp://news.sina.com.cn/w/ /087574s.shtml,0 March0.

12 ties. ThemostsignificantandfundamentaloftherolesOkinotorishimacould ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) Mostrecently,JapanannouncedinJanuary0anewplantoalocate750 bilionyenoversixyearstobuildaporttofurtherreinforceitsmaritimeclaims ontheokinotorishimarocks.theyalsoplantouseitasabasetoconductmarineresourcesurveysandtoengageinothereconomicactivities. Thequestionthatmightbeaskedis:whataretheincentivesforJapanto investsuchheavyfundingontheseremoteandtinyrocks? Theanswermaylie inthefactthattheokinotorishimarockscarryenormoussignificancetojapan inmanyaspects.forexample,themostobviousbenefittojapanisthatthese rocksareamajorboosttojapan sofshoreresourcepotential.intheresource field,japanpossessesstate-of-arttechnology,andhasagoodreasontoexpect resourcesfromitsoceanandseas,especialy marinenaturalresources,living andnoṉliving,tosustainitsnationaleconomicdevelopment.theseabedaroundtheokinotorishimarocksissaidtobepotentialyrichinoilandhasaḻ readybeenfoundtoberichinmanganesenodulesandrareminerals. From a nationalsecurity pointofview,okinotorishimaalso hasgreat weight.sitinginthemiḏcentralpacificoceanwithaperfectgeographicallocation,thesetinyrocksmayserveasanunsinkableaircraftcarrier.thisfunctionhighlightstheirstrategicvalueand militarypotentialasavitalenhancementtojapan sabilitytocontrolthepacificoceanandthenavigationalactivi- playfalintothecategoryofgeneratingsubstantialjurisdictionalwatersunder sovereignty,sovereignrightsandjurisdictionstemmingfrom establishingan EEZandECSaroundtherocks. IntheageoftheUNCLOS,smalsolitary islandsintheseasdistantfromthe mainlandcan makestatesinto majorsea powersduetotheentitlementofmaritimezones. 4 Thisisparticularlythecase withjapanandtheokinotorishimarocks.withouttheserocks,japan would havetoretreatitsterritorialseatoitssoutherṉmosttipofminami-ioto-shi- 4 SeeGusLubin,ChinaStunnedasJapan MakesShockIslandAnnouncementinKeyEconomicZone,athtp:// -grab-00-,7january00.seealsojapanistobuildbaseattheokinotorishima (Chinese),athtp://junshi.daqi.com/slide/75790.html#t,0June0. MartinFackler,A ReeforaRock? QuestionPutsJapaninaHardPlacetoClaimDisputed Waters,CharityTriestoFindUseforOkinotoriShima,WalStreetJournal,6February 005,p.A. SeeArticles55and77oftheUNCLOS. YasuhikoKagami,EnvironmentalPolicyforDesertIslands:Beyond IslandorRock?,in OPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.09.

13 How MuchCanaRockGet? ma,andsuferalossof,550squarekilometersofterritorialseaandsoveṟ eigntyoverthe watercolumn,seabedandairspace.japan s EEZ would be pushedbacktoeitherminami-iwojima,anislandalmost400milestothene, orto OkiDaitojima,anotherislandaboutthesamedistancetothe NW,and suferalossof40,000squarekilometersofeez, plusanecsclaiminthree regions. Fromeconomic,political,andsocialperspectives,itisalsoapparentthat Japancouldbenefitimmenselyfromsuchan islandisation efort.toachieve thebenefits,japanisdeterminedtoholdtheokinotorishimarocksandtoestablishefectivecontroloverthesurroundingwatersthrougheconomicactivities. Ⅲ.JapaneseViewsontheOkinotorishimaClaimsand IslandisationPractice JapanhasmaintaineditsclaimsbasedontheOkinotorishimarocksandislandisationpractice.Ononehand,itclaimsfirmlytheislandstatusofthe rocks;ontheotherhand,itpavesitswaywithconcreteactionstowardenabling therockstosatisfythecriteriaofalegalisland.meanwhile,japanesescholars haveconductedthoroughandcomprehensiveresearchonokinotorishimainthe recentdecadestojustifynationalclaimsandpractices.someevolvingviewsrepresenttheoreticalsupportandreflectjapan smotivationanddeterminationoveritsislandisationefort. A.ToAssert Island StatusoftheOkinotorishimaRocks RegardingthelegalstatusofOkinotorishima,theJapaneseviewsareby andlargeconcentrated on a self-constructed belief thattheserocksare islands underarticle()andfitintheislandcriteriainarticle (), thatis, anaturalyformedareaofland, surroundedbywater, abovewater YukieYoshikawa,Okinotorishima:JusttheTipoftheIceberg,HarvardAsianQuarteṟ ly,vol.9,no.4,005,athtp://asiaquarterly.com/006/0/0/i-/,9 March 0.

14 4 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) athightide. Moreover,JapanholdsthepositionthatasanArticle()island,itshouldnotberestrictedbyArticle().Basedonsuchlogic,Okinotorishimaistherefore qualified and entitled toitsextendedmaritimezones includingeezandcontinentalshelf. Stil,viewsaredivided withinthispanelregardingthe island statusof Okinotorishima.TadaoKuribayashi,alawprofessorofToyoeiwaUniversityin Tokyo,arguesinpartthatrocksandreefsdiferincompositionandstructure. Hebelievesthatonlyrocksthatcannotbeinhabitedorhavenoeconomiclife havenoclaimsforeezorcontinentalshelf,andthattheintentofarticle ()wasgearedtowardtheformer. Headdsthatcoralreefsandrocks (oḇ jectsconsistingofhardcontinentalsoil)arediferent, 4 thustheclaim that Okinotorishimais notanislet butrocks does not makesense.professor KuribayashiinsiststhattheJapaneseclaimisjustifiableasthereisnodefinitionofa rock ininternationallaw,andacountrycanclaimitsowneezor continentalshelfbasedonitspossessionofcoralreefs. 5 AnotherJapanesescholar,Kentaro Serita,arguesthataccordingtothe PreambleoftheUNCLOS,matersnotregulatedbytheConventioncontinue 4 5 TheOpenReporttotheConstructionCommiteeoftheHouseofRepresentativesofJapanbyOshimaShotaro,DirectoroftheEconomicBureau,MinistryofForeignAfairson 6April999,athtp:// ġo.jp/index.nsf/htm/index_kaigiroku.htm,0 June0.Citedfrom AkesatoNakayama,IslandDefinitionandRelatedIssuesinInteṟ nationallawp.4,inoprf,researchreportontheokinotorishimarevivalandrelated Isues,008,pp.6~8. TheOpenReporttotheConstructionCommiteeoftheHouseofRepresentativesofJapanbyOshimaShotaro,DirectoroftheEconomicBureau,MinistryofForeignAfairson 6April999,athtp:// ġo.jp/index.nsf/htm/index_kaigiroku.htm,0 June0.Citedfrom AkesatoNakayama,IslandDefinitionandRelatedIssuesinInteṟ nationallawp.4,inoprf,researchreportontheokinotorishimarevivalandrelated Isues,008,pp.6~8. YukieYoshikawa,Okinotorishima:JusttheTipoftheIceberg,HarvardAsianQuarteṟ ly,vol.9,no.4,005,athtp://asiaquarterly.com/006/0/0/i-/,9 March 0. AccordingtoKazuhikoFujita,UniversityoftheRyukyus, Reefislands,generalylowḻying,flat,smalislandsformedonreefflatsofatols,arelargelycomposedofunconsolidaṯ edbioclasticsandsandgravels.thus,theislandsarehighlysubjecttoinundation,coastal erosion,catastrophicstorms,andothercoastalhazards.see KazuhikoFujita,Enhancing foraminiferalsandproductivityforthemaintenanceofreefislands,inoprf,researchreportontheokinotorishimarevivalandrelatedisues,008,p.97. TadaoKuribayashi,ThepositionofOkinotorishimaininternationallaw,inNipponFouṉ dation,reporton Promoting Economic Activitiesin Okinotorishima,athtp://www. nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng/maritime/programsseas.html,0june0.

15 How MuchCanaRockGet? 5 tobegovernedbytherulesandprinciplesofgeneralinternationallaw.hebelievesthatthe00nmfishingzoneispartofcustomaryinternationallaw,and thusokinotorishimaisentitledtohavea00nmfishingzone. Headdsthat theactionsjapanadoptedtowardsokinotorishimathroughitsnationallegislationsincetheentryintoforceoftheuncloshaveneverbeenprotestedby anycountry.heconcludesthatthisfactsupportsthejapanesepositionthat theeezofokinotorishimashouldbemaintained. Basedonthetwo Okinotorishimarocks,Japanhasclaimednotonlyan EEZupto00nmtoaldirections,butalsoanECSattheSKB,MIT,andKPR regionsbasedonthenaturalprolongationprinciple.accordingtotheprovision ofunclosart.76., [t]hecontinentalshelfofacoastalstatecomprisesthe seabedandsubsoilofthesubmarineareasthatextendbeyonditsterritorialsea throughoutthenaturalprolongationofitslandterritory(emphasisadded)to theouteredgeofthecontinentalmargin. InasimilarfashiontoitsargumentaboutitsEEZclaim onokinotorishima,japanassertsthenaturalprolongationprincipletoclaimitsoutermostecs basedontherocks.thisisreflectedinparagraphofsection6.oftheexecutivesummaryofjapan ssubmissionthatthekyushu-palauridgeformspart ofthenaturalprolongationofjapan slandmas (emphasisadded) represeṉ tedbyokinotorishimaisland (so-caled!). Insteadofadmitingthefactthat thesubmissionareasextendingdowntheridgetowardspalauwasonthebasis ofthenaturalprolongationofokinotorishimaitself,japanistryingtogivethe impressionthatitisthenaturalprolongationofjapanasawhole.suchaconṯ entionisassociatedwithobviousproblems,mostnotably,theremotenatureof theseabedinquestionfromthenearestjapanesemainland/mainislandterritory. B.ToFacilitatetheConditionoftheOkinotorishimaRocksto SustainHuman HabitationorEconomicLife Inadditiontotheargumentsmadeoverthelegalstatusandgeographical KentaroSerita,Japan sterritory(japanese),c HUOKORON-SHINSYA,INC,00, pp.8~89,pp.4~45. KentaroSerita,Japan sterritory(japanese),c HUOKORON-SHINSYA,INC,00, pp.8~89,pp.4~45. SeetheExecutiveSummaryofJapan ssubmission,athtp:// clcs_new/submissions_files/jpn08/jpn_execsummaryṗdf,0june0.

16 6 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) AJapanesescholarbelievestheinterpretationandapplicationofArticle ()isproblematicandcriticizesitasfolows: If rockswhichcansustainhumanhabitationoreconomiclifeoftheir thatthepossibilityofmeetingtheconditionaloneissuficient.ifsuchisthe case,theconditionitselfwilevolvealongwithprogressinscienceandtechnoḻ ogy,leadingtouncertaintyintherequirementstobemet. ThisparagraphactualyindicatestheunsaidtruthofhowJapanhasbeen positionoftheokinotorishimarockstosupportitsclaimtoeezandecs,japanassertstherocksmaintainaneconomiclifeoftheirown. own issetastheconditionfordesignationofanislandwithoutactualyrequiringsuchhabitationinpractice,thentherearegroundsfortheinterpretation creatingtheconditionthroughevolvingscienceandtechnologytokeepokinotorishimafrombeingregardedasarticle ()rocks. Oneobservationreportsaboutothercountriessendingsignalstoshow that Toprovidesupportforitsclaimsandnationalislandisationatempts,Japanesescholarshavealsosearchedglobalyforrelevantpracticesasevidence. scatereddesertislandsare(orwilbe)ableto sustainhumanhabitationoreconomiclifeoftheirown.thesesignalsincludepermanentpostingofsmal militaryforcesormeteorologicalobservationstationstaf,etc.,constructionof lighthousesandothernavigationalaids,fishingactivities,andinrecentyears, andestablishmentofprotectedareastoreserveecosystemsorbiodiversityin theoceanssurroundingislands. Recentexamplesemployedbythisscholar weretheusestablishmentin006ofthethenworld slargestmarineprotected area (Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument)aroundthe nortẖ western HawaianIslandswheretheUShashadanEEZaround0uninhabited islandssincethe970s. 4 Asecondexamplecitedwasanew MarineNational 4 HiroshiTerashima,TheNeedforaComprehensiveStudyontheProblemsofIslandsand ManagementofTheirSurroundingWaters,inOPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.. YasuhikoKagami,EnvironmentalPolicyforDesertIslands:Beyond IslandorRock?,in OPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.09. YasuhikoKagami,EnvironmentalPolicyforDesertIslands:Beyond IslandorRock?,in OPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.09. Accordingtoan Americanexpertinthelawoftheseathose shouldnothaveeez in lightofunclos Article.See Yasuhiko Kagami,EnvironmentalPolicyforDesert Islands:Beyond IslandorRock?,inOPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.09.

17 How MuchCanaRockGet? 7 MonumentsestablishedinJanuary009aroundremoteislandsinthePacific Ocean. ThisJapanesescholarobservedthatenvironmentalmeasuressuchasestablishing marineprotectedareasarounddesertislandsareimplementednot onlybytheus,butalsobyfrance,australia,kiribati,andothercountries.he believesthatthesepracticeswouldhaveapositivesignificancefororimpacton the IslandorRock dispute,inthat desertislandswilnotbepositionedasa basisforenclosingthesea,butasbasesforpositiveoceanmanagementforsustainabledevelopment. Thesepracticesmaybeexpectedtocastnewlightonmanagementofdesertislands.However,thekeypointthisscholarforgottomentionisthatJapan isindeedaforemostpioneerwithpracticesthathavesetanexampleofclaiming extendedmaritimezonesoverrocks. Asidefrom lookingforevidencefrom othercountries,otherjapanese scholarshavetriedtojustifyjapan sclaimsandnationalpracticebynewdeveḻ opmentsofinternationallawandstatepractice.hiroshiterashima,theexecutivedirectorofoprf,arguedtoapproachthearticle()andokinotoṟ ishimaissuefromtheoveralframeworkandspiritoftheunclosforcomprehensivemanagementoftheocean. Heindicatedthatdiscussionsonthe EEZandthecontinentalshelffocusprimarilyoncoastalStates rights,rather thanontheirresponsibilitiesandobligationsto managecoastalareasineezs andcontinentalshelves.recentyearshaveseenalargeshiftfromtheemphasis giventomarinepolutionresponsesatthetimetheuncloswasdrafted,i.e. toconservationofmarinebiodiversityandotherissues,suchastopromoteecosystemḇased managementand marinespatialmanagementofoceanareasaroundislands. Professor Kuribayashirecommended nottotalk about whetherornot smalislandsaretobeaccordedeezsandcontinentalshelves,buttoconsider theproblemfromtheperspectiveofwhoshouldmanagetheoceanareasaround islandsandhowthemanagementistobecarriedout.further,hearguedthatit YasuhikoKagami,EnvironmentalPolicyforDesertIslands:Beyond IslandorRock?,in OPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.09. YasuhikoKagami,EnvironmentalPolicyforDesertIslands:Beyond IslandorRock?,in OPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.09. HiroshiTerashima,TheNeedforaComprehensiveStudyontheProblemsofIslandsand ManagementoftheirSurroundingWaters,inOPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.4.

18 8 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) isadvisabletoclarifyandreevaluatethinkingaboutislandsandthe managementoftheirsurroundingwaters.hecaledonstatesnotonlytoaddressthe questionofhowfartheexerciseofjurisdictionalrightsbysmalislandsover resourcesintheirsurroundingwatersisappropriateindistributingthecommon heritageofmankind,butalsotoanswerthequestionofwhoisthemostappropriateentitytofulfiltheobligationsandresponsibilitiesforprotectingtheresourcesintheoceanareasaroundsmalislands,eġ.inprotectingandconseṟ vingthemarineenvironment. HealsohopesforJapantomakeitscontributiontotheadaptivedevelopmentoftheUNCLOSregimeofislands. SuchviewsandargumentsconfirmtheJapaneseislandisationactionstowardstheOkinotorishimaRocksanditsgenerationofjurisdictionalzones.At thesametime,theseviewshavealsoencouragedjapantostrayfurtheraway fromtheunclosregime. Ⅳ.QuestionstoPonder TheaforementionedJapaneseviewssuggestthatwhatJapanhasdoneisto promotetheconservationandprotectionofmarineresourcesandenvironment throughecosystemḇasedmanagementaroundtheserocks.butquestionshave tobeasked,including:wiltheseargumentsjustifythejapaneseclaim andits islandisationatempts? MayotherStates doastheromansdo withsimilar insularfeatures? Whataretheimplicationsforsupportingexcessivenational claims? AsStatesmoveforwardwithexcessiveclaimsandislandisationinitiatives,whatshouldbetheguidingprincipleininterpretationandimplementation ofthe UNCLOS? Wiltherebeapotentialdangerofunderminingthe UN- CLOSandfurtherencroachmentonthecommonheritageof mankind? Who shoulddefendtheinterestsoftheinternationalcommunity,andhow? These questionswilbedealtwithinthissection. HiroshiTerashima,TheNeedforaComprehensiveStudyontheProblemsofIslandsand ManagementofTheirSurroundingWaters,inOPRF,ResearchReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,p.4. SeeTadaoKuribayashi,ConcludingRemarks:ThePresentImplicationsregarding Island RegimefromthePerspectiveofInternationalLawoftheSeaOrder,inOPRF,Research ReportontheOkinotorishimaRevivalandRelatedIsues,008,pp.8~84.

19 How MuchCanaRockGet? 9 A.AreRocksDistinguishablefromIslands? WhatJapancalsOkinotorishimaIsland,some,740kilometerssouthof Tokyo,ismerelyanatolthatcannotsustainhumanhabitationoreconomiclife ofitsown.japanarguesokinotorishimaareislands,notrocks.isthisbecause thediferencesbetweenrocksandislandsarenotdistinguishable? Thetruthis, despitethefactthatnoobjectivestandard wasestablishedonhowtodistiṉ guisharticle()islandsfrom Article()rocks,theprovisionsofUN- CLOSArticleareclearandexplicit. Incomparison withthe island definitionprovidedin Article(),a rock maybesimplifiedasa naturalyformed areaofland, surrounded bywater, abovewaterathightide ;that cannotsustainhumanhabitationor economiclifeofitsown.thisimpliesthefolowingfeatures:a rock isadisadvantagedtypeofisland;thesize(refersto areaoftheland abovewaterat hightide)ofa rock isusualysmal: andlastly,a rock isgeneralynotabletoprovidethenaturalconditionsnecessaryforsupportingnormalhuman life.infact,thelastfeatureisthedeterminerthatdiferentiatesrocksfrom islands.ifaninsularfeaturecannotfulfilthiscondition,itisonlyentitledtoa territorialseaandacontiguouszone,butnotaneezorcontinentalshelf. Manyinternationallaw expertsbelievethatanisland must:sustainand maintainfreshwater,beabletogrowvegetationthatcansustainhumanhabitation,producesomematerialthatcanbeusedforhumanshelter,andbeable tosustainahumancommunity. Someexpertssuggestthatanislandmustbe abletosustainatleastfiftypeople. Indeed,food,freshwater,andlivingspace Dr.Hodgson,ageographeroftheUSStateDepartment,proposedthata rock isanarea oflandlessthan0.00squaremiles,theareaoflandforan islet isbetween0.00- squaremiles,theareaoflandforan island islargerthanonesquaremile.seerobert. D.Hodgson,Islands:NormalandSpecialCircumstances,inJohnKingGamble,Jr.andGiulioPontecorvoed.,LawoftheSea:TheEmergingRegimeoftheOceans,Cambridge, Massachusets:BalingerPublishing,974,p.48. Forrelevantdiscussionsonthisaccount,seeJoséLuisJesus,Rocks,New-bornIslands,Sea LevelRiseand MaritimeSpace,inJochen Abr.Frowein,KlausScharioth,Ingo Winkeḻ mannandrüdigerwolfrum ed.,verhandelnfürdenfrieden-negotiatingforpeace:liber amicorumtonoeitel,00,pp.587~59;charney,jonathan,rocksthatcannotsustain HumanHabitation,AmericanJournalofInternationalLaw,Vol.9,999,pp.864~ 87. SeeInternationalSeabedAuthorityPressRelease,SB/5/0,p.,para.8.

20 0 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) constitutetheveryfundamentalcriteriaforhuman habitationonanisland. Withthesethreecriteria,theislandmaybeconsideredasbeingabletosustain humanhabitation,nomaterhowlongitcan sustain,orifthe sustaining of habitationisonapermanentortemporarybasis. To makethesecriteria morecomprehensible,theindonesian Ambassador andleadinglawoftheseaexpert,hasjim Djalal,proposedthreespecificcriteria:first,whetherthereisfreshwaterontheislandorrocks;second,whetherit ispossibleto grow food;third,whetherthereis materialto build houses. Shouldalthreecriteriabemet,theinsularfeatureshalnotonlybearock,but alsoanislandableto sustain humanhabitationandreproduction;thatis,itis entitledtoitsownjurisdictionregardlessofitssize.ifthethreeconditionsare notmet,thefeatureisonlyentitledtoanmterritorialsea. Theeconomiclifeoftheirown criterionseemstoappealtotheideaof therockhavingthecapacityorpotentialofbearinganindependent,thoughnot necessarilyself-suficient,economiclife.thismightimplythepotentialorcapacitytodevelopitsownsourcesofproduction,distributionandexchangeina waythat,ifitweretohavehumanhabitation,itwouldconstituteamaterialbasisthatwouldjustifytheexistenceanddevelopmentofastablehumanhabitationorcommunityontherock. Itwouldseemthatthecriterionofeconomic lifeoftheirownismorethantheexistenceofagivenresourceorthepresence ofa giveninstalation ofan economic nature,howeverimportantit might be. Ifanareaof land abovewaterathightide(nomaterwhatitiscaledby tradition)satisfieseitheroneofthetwocriteriato sustainhumanhabitation oran economiclifeofitsown,itisentitledtoitsowneezandcontinental shelf.inthecaseofokinotorishima,noneofthereefsislargethanonesquare IanTownsenḏGault,PreventiveDiplomacyandPro-activityintheSouthChinaSea,ContemporarySoutheastAsia,Vol.0,No.,998,p.79. SeeJoséLuisJesus,Rocks,New-bornIslands,Sea LevelRiseand MaritimeSpace,in JochenAbr.Frowein,KlausScharioth,Ingo WinkelmannandRüdiger Wolfrum ed.,verhandelnfürden Frieden-NegotiatingforPeace:Liberamicorum TonoEitel,00,p SeeJoséLuisJesus,Rocks,New-bornIslands,Sea LevelRiseand MaritimeSpace,in JochenAbr.Frowein,KlausScharioth,Ingo WinkelmannandRüdiger Wolfrum ed.,verhandelnfürden Frieden-NegotiatingforPeace:Liberamicorum TonoEitel,00,p. 590.

21 How MuchCanaRockGet? meterandthetotalareaislessthan0squaremeters. Okinotorishimahasno freshwater,norsoil;neitherdoesithaveanyvegetation.moreimportantly,its sizeistoosmalto sustainhumanhabitation.basedonitsnaturalconditions,itcannotberegardedasanisland. NoconsensushasbeenreachedontheinterpretationandapplicationofAṟ ticle.thetreatmentofislands/rockshaslonggeneratedinternationallegal debates,andstatepracticehasremainedsomewhatdiverse.nonetheless,the understandingofinternationallawexpertsonthetextoftheunclosprovisions,relevantjurisprudencebyinternationaljudicialandarbitralcourtsand StatePracticesareconsistentandidentical.Therearesignsofaconsistent trendemergingand,attheleast,numerousexamplesexistwhichindicatehow islands/rocksshouldbetreated.nomaterhow Articleisinterpreted,givenitssizeanduninhabitablenaturalconditions,theOkinotorishimacannotbe recognizedasanislandoflegalnature.japan sefortsconfirmthatitistrying toturnrocksintoislands. B.HowshouldUNCLOSbeImplementedandInternational CommunityConcernsbeRespected? Article ()ofthe UNCLOSexpresslydeniestherightofarockto supportaneezandacontinentalshelf.however,japanstilclaimedaneez to00nmandanadjoiningcontinentalshelfregionbeyond00nm usingthe OkinotorishimaRocksasabase-pointinitssubmission.Japan sunilateralassertionis widely out of conformity with the intention and purpose of UNCLOS s commonheritageofmankind concept.astheforemostadvocate of theprincipleofthecommon Heritageof Mankind,Ambassador Arvid PardoofMaltapointedout, [i]fa00milelimitofjurisdictioncouldbefouṉ dedonthepossessionofuninhabited,remoteorverysmalislands,theefectivenessofinternationaladministrationofoceanspacebeyondnationaljurisdictionwouldbegravelyimpaired. In988,havingnoticedtheJapaneseconstructionovertherocks,Professor JonVonDykeoftheUniversityofHawaiexpressedhisviewinthefolowing terms: Okinotorishima-whichconsistsoftwoerodingprotrusionsnolarger Athtp://news.xinhuanet.com/world/005-0//content_687.htm, April 0. UnitedNationsSea-BedCommitee,Doc.A/AC.8/SR.57,p.67.

22 ChinaOceansLaw Review (0Number) thanking-sizebeds-certainly meetsthedescriptionofanuninhabitablerock thatcannotsustaineconomiclifeofitsown.itisnot,therefore,entitledto generatea00[nautical]-mileexclusiveeconomiczone. Hehasfurtherassertedthatitisimpossibletomake aplausibleclaimthatokinotorishouldbe abletogeneratea00 [nautical]-milezone. ProfessorVonDykemadeit clearagainin005. ProfessorVonDykehasalsosuggestedthatthesituationissimilartothe failedbritishatempttoclaimaneezaroundrockal.rockalisasmal,uṉ inhabited,rockyislet withinthe EEZ ofthe United Kingdom (UK)inthe NorthAtlanticOcean. 4 Rockalisalmost00nmfromtheScotishcoast,5 metersabovesealevelandmeasures64squaremeters. 5 In977,theUKestablishedafishingzoneusingRockalasabasepointforanextensionof00 nmbeyondtheislet.thebritishclaim wasprotestedbydenmark,icelandand Ireland. 6 The UK eventualyabandoneditsclaim afteritsaccessiontothe UNCLOSin Nodoubt,thecaseofRockalhastheclosestsimilaritytotheOkinotorisẖ imasituationbuttheukrationalewaspresentedonadiferentfooting.article ()deniesthecapacityoftinyrockstogenerateunfairlyandinequitablyhuge maritimeentitlementseġ.an EEZ oracontinentalshelf,which could,inmostcases,impingeuponotherstatesmaritimespaceorontheinteṟ See MartinFackler,AReeforaRock? QuestionPutsJapaninaHardPlacetoClaim Disputed Waters,Charity TriestoFind UseforOkinotoriShima,WalStreetJournal,6 February005,p.A. SpeckintheOcean MeetsLawoftheSea,NewYorkTimes,January988. MartinFackler,A ReeforaRock? QuestionPutsJapaninaHardPlacetoClaimDisputed Waters,CharityTriestoFindUseforOkinotoriShima,WalStreetJournal,6February 005,p.A. SeeEEZoftheUKandIrelandathtp:// 0. FordetailsonRockal,athtp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockal,0June0.Seealso JamesFisher,Rockal.London:GeofreyBles,956,pp.~. Athtp:// LimitsOrder997,StatutoryInstrument997No.750. TheForeignandCommonwealthSecretaryoftheUnitedKingdomexpressedinastatementthat Rockalisnotavalidbasepointforsuchlimitsunderarticle(),andthen thelimitofthefisheryzonewasredefinedaccordinglythroughthefisherylimitsorder 997.SeeAlexG.OudeElferink,ClarifyingArticle()oftheLawoftheSeaConveṉ tion:thelimitssetbythenatureofinternationallegalprocess,ibru Boundaryand Security Buletin,Summer998,p.59,p.66.Editors note:seealso D.Anderson, IslandsandRocksintheModernLawoftheSea inthepresentvolume.

23 How MuchCanaRockGet? nationalseabed Area whichisreservedforthe Common Heritageof Maṉ kind. Since004,asJapan smaritimeneighbor,chinahasconstantlyobjectedto JapanesejurisdictionovermarinescientificresearcharoundtheOkinotorishima RockswhereJapanhasclaimedthatithastherighttoprescribeandenforcejurisdictionoverthetworocksandsurroundingwatersupto00nm. China s positionisthatthelegalstatusofthesewatersishighseasandtraditionalfisẖ inggroundsforthefishersfrom the mainlandofchina,taiwan,and Korea. ChinafirmlyopposedtheJapaneseunilateralactionsandconsiderssuchactions asaseriousviolationoftherightsofothercountries. ThedisputeregardingwhetherOkinotorishimaisarockoranislandhas escalatedandintensified.theissuehascaughttheatentionoftherestofthe worldbecauseofthejapanesesubmissionofitsproposedouterlimitofthe continentalshelftotheclcs,whichstimulatedapublicreactionfrom China andkorea. InFebruary009,ChinaandSouth Korearespectivelysubmitedtothe Secretary-GeneraloftheUnitedNationsNoteVerbalescommentingontheissueoftheOkinotorishimaintheJapaneseSubmission. 4 BothChinaandSouth KoreaobjectedtoJapan sclaimtoaneezandecsbasedontheokinotorishimarocks. 5 Theinternationalcommunityhas,forthe mostpart,avoidedinvolvement inthe dispute. However,the Submissionintensifiedthe disagreementand raisedconcernsintheinternationalcommunitysparking variedcomments. ConcernswerearticulatedaboutJapan sdutynottoinfringeonthecommon spaceoftheinternationalcommunity.ononeoccasion,japanseemedtorememberitsdutyanddeniednewzealand sclaimstotheantarctic.whennew 4 5 UN Doc.A/CONF.6/,7October98. JapanhopestobuildlighthouseonatoldisputedwithChina,XinhuaNews,5 August, 005. SeeJiaYuandLiMingjie,NottoaccepttheartificialyconstructedOkinotori,athtp:// news.sina.com.cn/c/ /0706.shtml,0june0. ForChina snote,athtp:// chn_6feb09_eṗdf;forkorea s,athtp:// _files/jpn08/kor_7feb09 ṗdf. ForChina snote,athtp:// chn_6feb09_eṗdf;forkorea s,athtp:// _files/jpn08/kor_7feb09 ṗdf.