The 2010 Senkaku boat collision incident (or the Minjinyu 5179 incident) occurred on the morning of September 7, 2010, when a Chinese trawler (Minjinyu 5179) operating in disputed waters collided with Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands. There were several JCG boats involved, including Yonakuni and Mizuki, which collided with Minjinyu 5179, plus Hateruma and other JCG boats.
The collision and Japan's subsequent detention of the skipper, Zhan Qixiong (), resulted in a major diplomatic dispute between China and Japan. When China's repeated demands for the release of the skipper were refused and his detention extended for ten more days, the Chinese government cancelled official meetings of the ministerial level and above.
The detained Chinese crew members were released without charge and were allowed to return home. In China the overall event is perceived as a diplomatic victory, while in Japan the Japanese government's "weak-kneed" handling of the issue was criticized, particularly by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Background
The Senkaku Islands are claimed by Japan, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. In 2008 a sports fishing boat from Taiwan, Lien Ho, was rammed and sunk by JCG patrol ships which led to an official apology and monetary compensation of NT$10 million paid by Japan. Multiple events involving JCG and fishing boats from nearby Chinese provinces and Taiwan have occurred since 1972.
From 2005 to the 2010 incident, bilateral relations between China and Japan had been trending positively.
Details of the incident According to the JCG, the patrol boat Mizuki of the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters encountered Minjinyu 5179 at about 10:15 (JST) on September 7, 2010. Mizuki ordered Minjinyu 5179 to stop for inspection since Minjinyu 5179 was traveling north-west of the Senkaku Islands, which is outside the agreed area for Chinese fishing, and within disputed Japanese territorial waters. Minjinyu 5179 refused the order and attempted to flee from the scene. During the chase and interception, Minjinyu 5179 collided with JCG patrol vessels. On September 8, 2010, JCG boarded the Chinese trawler and arrested its captain for obstruction of performance of public duty and illegal fishing. The trawler, the captain, and 14 crew members, were transported to Ishigaki Island of Japan for detention. An investigator told the press that he smelled alcohol on the arrested captain but apparently no alcohol test results were ever released.
In response to the arrest, the Chinese government made a series of diplomatic protests, demanding the immediate release of the trawler and all its crew. China summoned Uichiro Niwa, the Japanese ambassador to China in Beijing, six times, each time with an official of higher diplomatic rank, on one occasion after midnight. The trawler and 14 of the crew members (but not the captain, Zhan) were released after the sixth summons on September 13, 2010. The captain of the trawler remained in Japanese detention for 17 days and was finally released on September 24, 2010.
Chronology of events
September 7, 2010: The Chinese fishing trawler Minjinyu 5179 collides with two Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats in disputed waters near the Senkaku Islands. The collisions occur between 10am and 11am (Yonakuni around 10:16am, Mizuki around 10:56am.), after the Japanese Coast Guard ordered the trawler to leave the area. After the collisions, Japanese Coast Guard sailors boarded the Chinese vessel and arrested the captain, Zhan Qixiong. On the same day, Song Tao, Chinese associate minister of foreign affairs, called in Japan's ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa and requested Japan to stop its interception operation. September 9: Jiang Yu, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said that China has sent law enforcement boats of the Fishery Administration to the incident waters. On the same day, Hu Zhengyue, the assistant to the minister of foreign affairs called in Japan's ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa. Hu urged Japan immediately release the trawler together with seamen on board and guarantee their safety and integrity. The Ishigaki Maritime Safety Agency charges Captain Zhan Qixiong with interference with a public servant in the execution of his or her duties and send him to the Ishigaki branch of the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Naha. September 12: In the early morning, State Councilor Dai Bingguo called in Japan's ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa. Dai warned the Japanese government: "Don't make false judgement on the current situation, make wise political decisions, and release China's fishermen and trawler immediately." September 13: Because of the detention of the Chinese captain, China's embassy told the Affairs Bureau of the House of Representatives (Japan) that Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Jianguo decided to delay his 5-day visit to Japan. The trawler and 14 crew members were released and returned to China. Captain Qixiong remains detained in Naha. September 16: Seiji Maehara, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, goes to Ishigaki Maritime Safety Agency and inspects the patrol ships damaged in the incident. September 20: China detains four Japanese employees of Fujita Corporation for allegedly filming military targets. September 22: China's premier Wen Jiabao delivered a strong-worded address: "I strongly urge Japan to release Zhan Qixiong immediately and unconditionally" when he attended the general assembly of the United Nations in New York. He said Japan had turned a deaf ear to China's repeated serious requests. "If Japan persists willfully and arbitrarily, China will take further actions. Japan shall take full responsibilities for all dire consequences incurred." This is the highest level of protests made by Chinese officials after the collision incident.Yahoo News. "https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100922/ap_on_re_as/as_china_japan_ships_collide " Article. Retrieved on September 22, 2010. September 24: Japan releases Qixiong, stating that keeping the captain in custody would not be appropriate and was having a considerable impact on Sino-Japan relations. September 25: China demands an apology and compensation from Japan for holding the Chinese boat captain. Japan rejects this demand. September 27: Japan said it would counter-claim against China for damage to its patrol boats in the collision. October 6: Joint US/Japan drill is planned on defending Okinawa in DecemberJapan gov't support slides on handling of China row The China Post of Taiwan, October 5, 2010 but Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto told the parliament that the joint military exercise does not have the islands specifically in mind. October 9: All of the Fujita employees were released by China. October 19: In the regular press conference held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, a reporter asked: According to Japanese news sources, the Foreign Minister of Japan Seiji Maehara claimed that China's reaction to the collision is "hysterical". How does China respond to Mr. Seiji's comment? The spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said: "We are deeply astonished that such a comment is made by a foreign minister of some nation." November 4: Leaked video footage of the collision appears on YouTube. November 9: Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office of Japan launches an investigation against Google over the video leak. November 15: Japanese police and prosecutors announced that they would not arrest anyone for the YouTube leak.
Response in Japan
Government The Japanese government claims that there is no territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands. On September 14, 2010, then-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Seiji Maehara repeatedly asserted this standpoint.
On 19 September, the Japanese government extended its detention of the boat captain on the basis of domestic Japanese law. This detention differed from the Japanese Coast Guard's usual approach of expelling or deporting those that it viewed as intruders in the area. Japan also announced that the disputed islands were covered by the United States-Japan Security Alliance.
Business The business community thinks that this incident has exposed China's country risks, called in Japan. Japanese companies proactively invest into rare earth mining in countries other than China. Examples include Sumitomo Corporation and Toshiba in Kazakhstan, Marubeni in South Africa, Sojitz and Toyota Tsusho in Vietnam, Sojitsu in Australia, and Sumitomo in the United States. Many companies have shifted the focus of investment away from China to India (the top recipient of Japanese investment) and the ASEAN nations.
Protests
On October 2, 2010, large-scale anti-Chinese protests occurred in Tokyo and six other cities in Japan.
On November 6, an anti-Chinese demonstration was held in Hibiya Park.
Response in China In the immediate aftermath of the arrest, the Chinese government sought to restrain hardline Chinese public sentiment. The Chinese government ordered the China Federation for Defending the Diaoyu Islands to withdraw their open letter of protest to the Japanese government. It also stopped a boat trip to the disputed islands from departing Xiamen on 10 September and dispersed anti-Japanese protests in Beijing, Nanjing, Changsha. It instructed PLA media commentators not to talk about the incident, censored key words related to the dispute online, and shut down internet chat rooms.
The Chinese government's position grew firmer over time. The Chinese government viewed Japan's extending of the captain's detention and statements about the islands being covered by the United States-Japan Security Alliance as a change to the status quo treatment of the disputed islands and as an assertion of Japanese de jure sovereignty over them. In response, China detained four Japanese nationals for entering a restricted military area in China and also suspended high-level security exchanges with Japan. Shortly thereafter, China placed informal limits on Japanese tourism and the export of rare earth metals to Japan (whether the restrictions on rare earth exports were a response to the incident remains a matter of debate as of at least 2024).
Mainland China Beijing September 8, 2010, mainland Chinese non-governmental fisherman groups took to the streets of Beijing in protest, including a major protest outside the Japanese embassy. Chinese patriotism and anti-Japanese sentiment were evident amongst protestors who waved Chinese flags and sang the national anthem while holding placards demanding that the Japanese withdraw from the islands. A letter of protest was left with Japanese embassy staff along with an ancient Chinese styled copper sheet used to send off a dead person's spirit, as a death wish. On September 18, dozens of individuals wearing the increasingly popular "Oppose Japan" shirts held a protest around the Japanese embassy, demanding Japanese withdrawal from the islands and waving maps of China that included the islands as Chinese territories and chanted 'China forever' (lit. "China ten thousand years"/中国万岁/中國萬歲). The protesters posed a much larger danger to the embassy and local police were reinforced to 2–3 times the previous levels. Requests by the police, who were in riot gear, for the protesters to depart were largely unheeded. The embassy instead locked down and police closed off neighbouring streets to limit the increase of protesters and the possibility of chaos.
Tianjin On September 12, 2010, a Japanese private school in Tianjin, China, was vandalised prompting police to increase police presence in Japanese schools, as well as cultural facilities, throughout China. Schools in Tianjin and Beijing (two neighbouring cities) were suspended until September 18.
Shanghai