Japan wants answers over Chinese buoy found in remote contested waters

Beijing asserts that Japan has no right to claim Okinotorishima, where the buoy was discovered, as an island under UN definitions

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Okinotorishima is largely submerged at high tide, with only two small islets measuring just 9.4 square metres remaining above the water line – and even those were built up with concrete by Japan. Photo: Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images

Published: 10:00am, 9 Jul 2024Updated: 10:55am, 9 Jul 2024

A mysterious Chinese buoy detected in waters claimed by Japan has set off alarm bells in Tokyo, with analysts warning it could be part of a broader campaign to challenge the country’s maritime claims.

The buoy was discovered last week near Okinotorishima, a tiny remote atoll 1,730km south of Tokyo and the southernmost feature claimed by Japan. Though China and other have argued that the coral reef does not qualify as an island under UN definitions, Japan insists it can use the outpost to extend its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Underscoring the political tensions, Japan said it was not informed about the buoy’s placement and has demanded an explanation from China on its purpose. Though analysts believe it is likely a weather monitoring device, they warn it could also have other tracking capabilities.

“It is regrettable that a buoy was placed without providing details of its purpose,” Tokyo’s top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday, vowing that Japanese authorities would closely monitor the situation.

Experts say the dispute over Okinotorishima underscores the broader challenges Asian nations face in defining and defending their maritime boundaries in an era of growing competition over strategic waterways and resources.

“Japan is ticked off about this, but there is an argument that it does not have a particularly strong case,” said James Brown, an international-relations professor at Temple University’s Tokyo campus.