Will the Senkaku Islands Receive Any Attention at the US-Japan Summit?

Japanese media reports that U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Japan next week on April 24 for a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. After the summit, it is expected that they will issue a joint statement emphasizing the alliance between the U.S. and Japan, but the statement is not expected to directly touch on the Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands.

Obama is scheduled to visit Japan from April 23–25, and the summit will take place on the 24th, when they will issue a joint statement.

Asahi Shimbun reported that many issues have arisen since Obama’s 2010 visit to Japan, including an increase in mainland China’s military forces, the continued development of nuclear weapons in North Korea, and the current tense situation in Ukraine. Obama and Abe will discuss not only the strengthening of U.S.-Japan security cooperation, but also how to increase cooperation in the greater Asia-Pacific region.

It is also reported that the dispute over sovereignty has led to rising tensions between Japan and mainland China. Japan is looking forward to U.S. cooperation in dealing with mainland China; however, it also wants to take into consideration the ideas of the U.S. The U.S. and Japan have signed a joint statement that is not country specific and is not limited to security issues.

According to sources, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has already stated his views on the matter earlier this month while visiting Japan. And the U.S. position on the Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands is already stated in the U.S.-Japan security treaty, so Obama is not necessarily reaffirming anything by the joint statement.

But the U.S. is currently deliberating on the possibility of adding the phrase, “No change of the status quo is allowed through force or coercion,” to highlight the importance of international social order.

According to reports from Yomiuri Shimbun, Obama and Abe are proposing support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in order to enhance the capacity of each country to monitor the oceans and to facilitate an agreement on the topic.

The U.S. and Japan are considering providing ASEAN countries with patrol boats and training of the coast guard and related personnel. They also want to establish an information-sharing framework to cope with pirates and other unknown ships and boats. It is expected that these elements will be included in the U.S.-Japan joint statement.

A Japanese government official said if ASEAN countries enhanced marine monitoring capabilities, it would help the U.S. and Japan — especially in Vietnam and the Philippines because of confrontation in the South China Sea over the issue of sovereignty with mainland China. The U.S. and Japan are planning on assisting the coast guard to enhance the ability of these countries to contain mainland China.