Japan is playing new tricks on the Diaoyu Islands again.
For one thing, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba on Tuesday embarked on his trip to Britain, France and Germany, trying to lobby the three Western nations for support.
For another, Japan's Foreign Ministry is geared up to print pamphlets on the Diaoyu Islands in 10 languages and distribute them all over the world.
Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets have been an integral part of China's territory since Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Japan's so-called "evidences" were no more than broken pieces of unconfirmed documents and blurring the conceptual difference between "control" and "sovereignty."
The Diaoyu Islands were first discovered, named and exploited by the Chinese. Since the 14th and 15th centuries, the islands have been included in Chinese maps. Foreign maps also show that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China.
In December 1943, the Cairo Declaration stated in explicit terms that "all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa (Taiwan) and the Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China. Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed."
In July 1945, the Potsdam Proclamation stated in Article 8: "The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine."
