Japan`s New Ambition

The Japanese government has decided to take stern measures to include the vast sea bed of the Western Pacific, equal to 1.7 times of the size of Japan, as its territory.

Japan will invest 140 billion Yen in a 4-year underwater exploration program in order to secure mining rights for natural resources buried under the Pacific through official recognition from the U.N., based on the argument that the continental shelf in the region belongs to Japan.

In a strategy to expand its undersea territory, the Japanese government has placed the budget for undersea exploration outside of annual budgetary debate, Yomiuri newspaper reported yesterday. This means that the long-term exploration project will not run the risk of insufficient budgeting further down the road.

According to the “United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” ratified in 1982, if scientific research proves the topography and geological features of the sea bed are similar to the territory of the neighboring country and it is connected to the land, up to 350 nautical miles is recognized as the continental shelf.

The actual investigation for the project is being carried out at in waters near Minamitorishima Island and Ohkinotorishima Island, isolated islands of Japan in the West Pacific. If Japan can prove that the islands are connected to the continental shelf, Japan is certain to lay claim to an additional 650,000 sq. km of the continental shelf.

The sea bed of the West Pacific is known as a “treasure house of natural resources” with abundant manganese and cobalt, and even has veins of high-quality gold. In particular, massive natural gas deposits are believed to be buried there, which would supply Japan’s energy needs for over a century, leading some observers to view the project as an ideal solution to the prolonged depression the country currently suffers.

Thus, Japan`s Coastal Guard has decided to increase the current number of exploration vessels from 2 to 20 by next year, and will also increase the number of excavation sites from 60 to 259.

There is, however, a high chance that Japan may not gain possession over the area without concrete scientific findings that can back up its claim, given that the U.N. Continental Shelf Limit Committee has very strict screening procedures. Last June, Russia also appealed the U.N. to include neighboring continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk, but the U.N. dismissed the request saying, “There is not enough evidence that could prove the connectivity between the inland and the continental shelves.”

If the Japanese government’s plan, which sets its target date at 2009, succeeds, Japan can exert not only mining rights on the continental shelves, but will also be able to expand its territory up to the West Pacific.

This case is noteworthy, as it is Japan`s new attempt to expand its territory. This time it is using its scientific and economic power, though comparisons can be drawn between this and its past bid to occupy the continent, which relied on military power.

parkwj@donga.com