Tag - islands

 
 

ISLANDS

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Nov 7, 2015
Confusion over U.S. patrol in South China Sea may undermine Washington's goal
The U.S. Navy deliberately avoided military drills or other actions that could have further inflamed tensions with Beijing during a patrol last week near islands China has built in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 6, 2015
After South China Sea patrol, Chinese warship tells U.S. destroyer: 'Hope to see you again'
As soon as the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen breached 12-nautical-mile (22-km) territorial limits around one of China's man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea last week, a Chinese warship shadowing its movements began demanding answers.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2015
Flaws in ASEAN's community-building effort
At the end of this year, the process for turning the Association of Southeast Asian Nations into a single community will begin to take shape. Yet pending community-building projects still need to be achieved and existing problems solved.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2015
South Korea to hold naval exercise near Japan-claimed islets next week
South Korea's navy plans to hold the second part of a biannual exercise next week, which it carries out around a pair of islets it controls, but which are claimed by Japan, a Defense Ministry official said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2015
Japan, U.S. push for mention of South China Sea in defense forum statement
Despite Chinese objections, the United States and Japan are pushing to get concerns about the South China Sea included in a statement to be issued after regional defense talks.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2015
U.S. Navy plans two or more patrols in South China Sea per quarter
The U.S. Navy plans to conduct patrols within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of artificial islands in the South China Sea about twice a quarter to remind China and other countries about U.S. rights under international law, a U.S. defense official said Monday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2015
Philippine Supreme Court unlikely to rule on U.S. security deal before Obama visit
The Philippine Supreme Court is unlikely to rule on a constitutional challenge to a new U.S.-Philippine security agreement before U.S. President Barack Obama visits Manila later this month. A decision is expected next year, a court source said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 1, 2015
Chinese supersonic ship killer makes U.S. Navy's job harder
Increased interactions between the Chinese and U.S. Navy in the contested South China Sea risk becoming more complicated by the increasingly sophisticated missiles being carried by submarines.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 1, 2015
Quiet East China Sea ADIZ highlights Beijing's struggle to control contested waters
As the battle for control of the South China Sea heats up, Beijing's struggle to assert its authority over another disputed waterway may prove instructive.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 1, 2015
With vast number of ships, Beijing takes quantity over quality approach in South China Sea
When a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed near one of Beijing's artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea last week, it was operating in a maritime domain bristling with Chinese ships.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 1, 2015
Despite agreements, risks linger of U.S.-China naval mishaps
In 2013, a U.S. guided-missile ship veered sharply to avoid a Chinese Navy vessel that tried to block its path in the disputed South China Sea, according to the U.S. account. The next year, the United States said a Chinese fighter jet buzzed within 9 meters (30 feet) of one of its Navy planes, in what...
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 1, 2015
Top Japanese, Chinese diplomats agree to further improve ties
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday agreed with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that the two countries should strengthen rapprochement efforts amid thawing ties.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 30, 2015
China's naval chief warns U.S. 'minor incident' may spark war in S. China Sea
China's naval commander told his U.S. counterpart that a minor incident could spark war in the South China Sea if the United States did not stop its "provocative acts" in the disputed waterway, the Chinese navy said on Friday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 27, 2015
U.S. Navy warship's patrol in disputed South China Sea draws angry response from Beijing
The U.S. sends a guided-missile destroyer close to China's man-made islands in the South China Sea, drawing an angry rebuke from Beijing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 27, 2015
Beijing deploys coast guard — not navy — to avert international condemnation in South China Sea
Armed with little more than flashing lights, loud hailers and water cannons, the Chinese Coast Guard is becoming the vanguard for the country's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 26, 2015
For America, the key to China is right at home
Rather than confront China directly, the U.S. should focus on domestic reforms that strengthen its own competitive advantages, which would thereby force Beijing to follow suit.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Oct 26, 2015
Planned U.S. patrols to raise stakes with Beijing in disputed South China Sea
U.S. plans to send warships or military aircraft within 12 nautical miles of China's artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, possibly within days, could open a tense new front in Sino-U.S. rivalry.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2015
Chinese ships enter Japanese waters around Senkaku Islands
Two China Coast Guard vessels briefly entered Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Saturday morning, the Japan Coast Guard said.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 21, 2015
U.S. navy delegation visits Chinese carrier amid maritime tensions
Senior U.S. naval officers visited China's lone aircraft carrier this week, China's military said, as the two powers try to counter mounting tensions between them over Beijing's claims in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 21, 2015
As U.S. eyes South China Sea patrols, will Japan play a role?
Some experts say Japan, with its newly empowered military, could play a larger role in Washington's activities near China's man-made islands is the South China Sea.

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Tokashiki Beach acts as a sanctuary for sea turtles and offers ideal snorkeling waters. It was also the site of the U.S. Army’s preliminary invasion that led to the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 150,000 people.
On Okinawa's Tokashiki Island, life's a beach — one of the best in the world