Japan's military has opened a monitoring station on a contested island group in the East China Sea. The move has not gone down well in China and Taiwan.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Kyodo
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Japan's defense ministry will keep a unit of 160 troops on the island of Yanaguni, which is only about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Taiwan, to monitor vessels and aircraft in the region.
"This is kind of a power vacuum area," according to Colonel Masashi Yamamoto, military attache with the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C.
The new Self Defense Force base on Yonaguni is at the western extreme of a string of Japanese islands in the East China Sea, 150 km south of the disputed islands, which are known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.
"Considering North Korean activities and the frequent invasion of our territory by China around these islands, we think we need to beef up our intelligence capability so that Japan can react better," Yamamoto said.
The move gives Japan a permanent intelligence gathering post near Taiwan, and the facility could reportedly also be used as a base for military operations in the region.
Japan has said it will increase its Self-Defense Forces in the East China Sea by about one-fifth to almost 10,000 by 2021, including missile batteries that will help Japan draw a defensive curtain along the island chain.
Tokyo's move has already set off protests in Chinese cities and a boycott of Japanese products.
A Chinese battle cruiser in the South China SeaImage: AP
"This radar station is going to irritate China," Nozomu Yoshitomi, a professor at Nihon University and a former major general in the Self Defense Force, told Reuters. Chinese coast guard ships have been spotted more often in the region since Tokyo's purchase of three of the disputed islets in September 2012.
A strategic and symbolic site
Chinese ships sailing from their eastern seaboard must pass through the area to reach the Western Pacific. Beijing needs the route both as a supply line to the rest of the world's oceans and also to project its naval power.
The island group has been administered by Japan since 1895, although the Chinese stake their claim based on its location near Taiwan, traditionally a part of China. The islands have become more significant in recent years due to their location near rich fishing grounds, shipping lanes and potential oil and gas reserves.
The 30 sq km outcrop is home to 1,500 people, who mostly raise cattle and grow sugar cane. The island voted in favor of hosting the troops in a nonbinding referendum in February 2015.
Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea
Satellite images show the extent and speed of China's land reclamation activities in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The new land masses are believed to be primarily military installations.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
Runway
China is expanding the construction of its facilities on Fiery Cross Reef. Provided by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), this June 28, 2015 photo reveals Beijing has nearly completed a 3,000 meter (9,800-foot) airstrip, long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft. Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas, and one possible radar tower are also visible.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
Expansion
Reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef, which lies on the west side of the Spratly Islands, began in August of 2014 and its principal landmass was finished by November. Dredgers have created a land mass that spans the entire existing reef and is approximately 3,000 meters long and 200-300 meters wide.
Image: Reuters//U.S. Navy
Facilities
This picture taken last November shows construction work being carried out on Fiery Cross Reef. The reef reportedly already houses a helicopter landing pad, a 300-meter-long wharf, a harbor large enough to dock military tankers, barracks and artillery emplacements.
Image: CSIS, IHS Jane's
South Johnson Reef
This reef was one of the first facilities to finish principal land reclamation. This recent picture shows that a radar tower is nearing completion at the north end of the land mass. According to AMTI, a new large multi-level military facility has been built in the center of the island. Up to six surveillance towers are being constructed alongside four possible weapons towers.
Image: Asia Maritime Transparency Iniative
A naval base?
Beginning in early 2015, Mischief Reef - also located in the Spratlys - has undergone extensive reclamation activity. Experts say that the recent widening of the southern entrance to the reef, coupled with sightings of Chinese navy vessels, may suggest a future role for the reclaimed reef as a naval base. Taken on March 17, this image shows a chain of small land formations at the reef.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
From reef to island
Significant construction on Gaven Reef began in 2014, with a total of 114,000 square meters of land already created. Satellite pictures show just how fast construction has progressed on the reef. A new artificial island was created between March (left) and August (right) 2014.
According to AMTI, China has had a troop garrison on Gaven Reef since 2003, which has included a large supply platform where ships can dock. Experts say a new main square building in the reef appears to be an anti-aircraft tower.
Image: AMTI
A standardized process
As seen in this image, the basic process of expanding these features involves dredging sand from the seafloor and dumping it onto the reefs. The structure is raised above the high water line, hiding the status of the bank or reef beneath. The sand is then smoothed out and workers surround the island with a concrete barrier to protect against erosion and storm surge, and begin construction.
Image: CSIS
'Historic rights'
China claims most of the potentially energy-rich waterway, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The US Pacific Fleet commander recently said China was "creating a great wall of sand" in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions. Beijing argues it is asserting its so-called "historic rights" to maritime resources in the area.
Image: DW
Territorial disputes
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims, which have led to territorial disputes in the area. Last summer, China's deployment of a massive oil rig in waters also claimed by Hanoi escalated tensions in the region, sparking a standoff at sea and violent anti-Chinese demonstrations in Vietnam.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
US concerns
Washington is concerned China's efforts carry a military dimension that could undermine the US' naval and economic power in the Pacific, and has weighed sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles of the new artificial islands. Washington has repeatedly called on Beijing and others to end reclamation projects in the disputed waters, but Beijing rejects those demands.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Abbugao
Ecological impact
The Philippines filed a formal plea at the UN last year, challenging Beijing's territorial claims. Manila said China's reclamation activities are causing "irreversible and widespread damage to the biodiversity and ecological balance of the South China Sea." It also claimed that the destruction of coral reef systems is estimated to cause economic losses valued at $100 million annually.
