Japanese-Chinese territorial conflict: causes and consequences. Territorial dispute over ownership of the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands

The Senkaku Islands (name from Japanese cartography), or Diaoyu Islands (from Chinese cartography) are located in the southern part of East China Sea and uninhabited. Uninhabited - despite the fact that last year several hundred Japanese were on some of these islands, with the aim of emphasizing their territorial affiliation with Japan, long disputed by China and Taiwan.

In the last third of the 19th century, the islands were not officially considered either Japanese or Chinese territory, although Japan at that time marked them on maps as its own. New cartographic objects were not legalized as Japanese possessions - because of the then difficulties in Japanese-Chinese relations.

The Senkaku Archipelago came under the control of Japan in 1895, and together with Taiwan, which fell under the jurisdiction of Tokyo after Japan's victory over China, under the Shimonoseki Treaty.

After World War II, Okinawa, Senkaku, and Taiwan were under American occupation and then transferred to Japan by the US. However, after the war, Japan renounced the rights to Taiwan, but the situation with the Senkaku Islands became more complicated.

In 1968, the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East published a report stating that a rich oil field was allegedly located near the Senkaku Islands - namely, on the continental shelf of the East China Sea. Studies of the seabed by scientists from Japan, China and Taiwan showed that the probable area of ​​the proposed deposit could be two hundred thousand square kilometers.

Taiwan first began seeking Japan's consent to the Taiwanese-American development of an oil field, and then, in 1970, voiced claims to sovereignty over Senkaku. Following Taiwan, the People's Republic of China also announced territorial claims to the Diaoyu Islands. Beijing decided that, restoring historical justice after the war, Tokyo should have renounced the rights to Senkaku (Diaoyu) - just as they had renounced Taiwan.

So, the cause of the international conflict is a banal economic one: a deposit.

In 1972, diplomatic relations were established between the PRC and Japan. In 1974, China proposed to postpone consideration of the dispute over the islands. The Japanese side agreed, and the conflict not only lost its sharpness, but, as it were, dissolved in time.

However, starting in 1992, the territorial dispute began to escalate again. Based on the Cairo Declaration of 1943, which deprived Japan of all the territories it had conquered, the PRC declared that the territory of the islands was originally Chinese.

The adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1996 led to the fact that the Senkaku archipelago was included in the maritime economic zones simultaneously by both Japan and China.

In the same year, the Japanese government decided to introduce a two hundred mile exclusive economic zone around the country; the disputed Senkaku archipelago also fell within these two hundred miles. In response, the Chinese authorities announced the creation of a group of troops intended for possible actions in the Diaoyu.

Then leapfrog began with a lighthouse and flags. On July 14, 1996, the Japanese Youth Association set up a lighthouse on Kitakojima Island, and on August 18, the Senkaku Islands Protection Society set up a lighthouse on. Watsuri Japanese flag.

On October 7, 1996, forty Chinese ships entered Japanese territorial waters near Senkaku. The protesters landed on the island of Wotsurijima and planted the flags of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan there. Later they were removed by the Japanese.

In 1999, the Japanese press reported that the Chinese, considering the islands their own, began geological exploration on the shelf of the Senkaku archipelago. In the same year, natural gas was discovered in the archipelago. There is information in the media that in 2003 the Chinese tried to drill wells near the sea border with Japan.

In 2004, Zhang Yesui, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, stated China's unequivocal position on the Diaoyu issue: the islands are the original and sovereign territory of the PRC. China later refused to let Japan know about its gas production plans. In turn, the Japanese government next year decided to start issuing licenses to Japanese companies for offshore gas production. The PRC said that Japanese firms do not have the right to work in the territory of the PRC. The negotiations did not produce positive results. China has stated that the islands are not in dispute with Japan.

Negotiations were resumed at various intervals until 2010, when they were suspended by Beijing due to the arrest of the captain of a Chinese trawler, detained in the Senkaku archipelago. China responded harshly: some Japanese businessmen were arrested, student visits to China were canceled, and exports to Japan of rare earth minerals important for its industry were suspended.

Such a harsh reaction from Beijing caused Japan to talk about rearmament, which is generally not typical for a pacifist country. Tokyo decided to arm itself because China began to arm itself. Quote from a review of an article by Marco Del Corona ("Corriere della Sera", translation source -):

“We need to arm ourselves,” Tokyo says, because China is arming and causing fear. At the same time, "an alliance with the United States remains indispensable to the security and peace" of Japan. The "Main Directions" provide for the allocation of 280 billion dollars for the military needs over five years. Tokyo intends to change priorities. Fewer ground troops and strengthened air and naval forces: doubling the number of missile defense bases (from 3 to 6), increasing the number of submarines (from 16 to 22), fighters and so on. The epicenter of efforts is shifting from the island of Hokkaido, over which at the time cold war the Soviet threat loomed, on the located south of the island Okinawa, where contentious issues with China are perceived more sharply.”

A month earlier, Philip Pont of Le Monde wrote the following (translation source -):

“Sino-Japanese tensions could have been resolved were it not for the diplomatic impotence of the Kahn cabinet… This diplomatic failure, indicating the lack of foresight of the Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who preaches toughness towards China with the only long-term goal of strengthening the alliance with the United States, also due to the lack of channels of direct communication between the Japanese democrats and the Chinese leadership, as well as mistrust in relations between the administration and the government ... "

Le Monde's correspondent believes that Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the Kuril Islands following the incident with the Chinese trawler is not a coincidence: after all, in September the leaders of Russia and China signed a document on mutual support in protecting the interests of the two countries. The journalist throws up his hands: “Can Japan afford to be in conflict with both China and Russia at the same time?”

You don't have to be an expert international relations to draw a simple conclusion: the long island disputes, exacerbated by the activities of the expressive Tokyo governor, are leading Japan to protracted quarrels with its neighbors. It makes no sense to reopen the long-standing dispute with Russia: the Kuriles will remain Russian. To quarrel with our neighbor China, hoping for America's fraternal help and changing pacifism, which, by the way, appeared in Japan (as in post-war Germany) as one of the causes of the "economic miracle" - to ideas about weapons (by the way, even) - yes even in times of crisis, it is no longer just pointless, but also harmful. Where the best option a solution to the Japanese-Chinese dispute, rather than bilateral provocations, would be to share offshore gas with China: they would agree, work out quotas, even create joint ventures. And only then, having devastated the shelf, they would draw new borders on the maps. The small uninhabited islands themselves, which have no economic value, are not needed by either China or Japan - but gas is needed. You also need stability in relationships.

As for the Kuriles, here, for the most part, the Japanese are not interested in the islands themselves, but in the sea. In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the most fishy in the world, in addition to an abundance of saury, salmon and cod, there are also offshore oil and gas fields.

The same will always give a reason to choose a suitable territory. For example, the Americans, with whom the Japanese want to be friends against China, have no place in America. Any native Indian can rightfully claim this.

:  /  (G) (O) (I) 25.775278 , 123.5275 25°46′31″ N sh. 123°31′39″ E d. /  25.775278° N sh. 123.5275° E d.(G) (O) (I)(T)

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2012

In the area of ​​the islands there are deposits of natural gas, which China intends to develop. Official Tokyo claims that maritime border between the two states clearly demarcates these territories, and the gas-rich areas belong to Japan. On this moment Tokyo authorities lease these islands from private owners, who are Japanese citizens.

On July 11, patrol ships of the Chinese Navy were maneuvering off the coast of Senkaku Island. In this regard, on July 15, 2012, the Japanese ambassador to the PRC was recalled for consultations.

On August 19, anti-Japanese demonstrations took place in China, in a number of places ending in pogroms of Japanese shops and Japanese-made cars. The reason for the speeches was the fact of landing on disputed islands groups of Japanese citizens and the hoisting of the Japanese flag there.

On September 5, Japanese media reported that the Japanese government was able to negotiate with a private owner of 3 of the 5 Senkaku Islands to buy them for 2 billion 50 million yen, exceeding the offer of Tokyo Prefecture.

On September 11, China responded to Japan's decision by sending two warships to the disputed islands "to protect sovereignty." The Chinese Foreign Ministry explained that if Japan does not refuse to buy the Senkaku Islands, which the PRC considers historically belonging to it, then the incident could threaten with "serious consequences." Mass anti-Japanese pogroms began that same week, which led to the closure of factories owned by Japanese companies.

On September 16, relations between China and Japan escalated after mass protests began in China against Japan's "nationalization" of the islands, which the PRC considers its territory. Anti-Japanese demonstrations with the participation of several thousand people are engulfed in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Qingdao and Chengdu.

Later, 1,000 Chinese fishing boats make their way to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands. On the same day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China announced that Chinese government is ready to submit part of the documents regarding the outer limit of the continental shelf beyond the 200-mile maritime zone in the East China Sea to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, established on the basis of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Two of the 11 Chinese military patrol ships cruising near the Senkaku Islands entered Japanese territorial waters.

(I) Coordinates : 25°46′31″ N sh. 123°31′39″ E d. /  25.77528° N sh. 123.52750° E d. / 25.77528; 123.52750(G) (I)

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According to official Tokyo, since 1885, the Japanese government has repeatedly studied the Senkaku Islands and received accurate confirmation that the islands were not only uninhabited, but there were no signs that they were under Chinese control. Based on this, on January 14, 1895, the government of the country officially included the Senkaku Islands in the territory of Japan in accordance with international law terra nullius - "no man's land".

The Senkaku Islands were neither part of the island of Taiwan nor part of the Pescadores, which were ceded to Japan by Qing China in accordance with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which was concluded in April 1895 following the First Sino-Japanese War. In the period 1900-1940. On the islands of Kubajima and Uotsurishima, there were 2 settlements of Japanese fishermen, with a total of 248 inhabitants. A bonita processing plant also operated on the island of Wotsurijima. Due to the crisis in the Japanese fishing industry, the factory closed and the settlements were abandoned by the beginning of 1941.
In 1945, Japan lost the war and lost all the territories it had acquired since the end of the 19th century. Senkaku, along with Okinawa, came under US jurisdiction. But in the early 1970s, the United States returned Okinawa to Japan, giving it and Senkaku.

2012

In the area of ​​the islands there are deposits of natural gas, which China intends to develop. Official Tokyo, on the other hand, claims that the sea border of the two states clearly delimits these territories, and the gas-rich areas belong to Japan. At the moment, the Tokyo authorities lease these islands from private owners, who are Japanese citizens.

On July 11, patrol ships of the Chinese Navy were maneuvering off the coast of Senkaku Island. In this regard, on July 15, 2012, the Japanese ambassador to the PRC was recalled for consultations.

On August 19, anti-Japanese demonstrations took place in China, in a number of places ending in pogroms of Japanese shops and Japanese-made cars. The reason for the speeches was the fact that a group of Japanese citizens landed on the disputed islands and hoisted the flag of Japan there.

On September 5, Japanese media reported that the Japanese government was able to negotiate with a private owner of 3 of the 5 Senkaku Islands to buy them for 2.05 billion yen, exceeding the offer of Tokyo Prefecture.

On September 11, China responded to Japan's decision by sending two warships to the disputed islands "to protect sovereignty." The Chinese Foreign Ministry explained that if Japan does not refuse to buy the Senkaku Islands, which the PRC considers historically belonging to it, then the incident could threaten with "serious consequences." Mass anti-Japanese pogroms began that same week, which led to the closure of factories owned by Japanese companies.

On September 16, relations between China and Japan escalated after mass protests began in China against Japan's "nationalization" of the islands, which the PRC considers its territory. Anti-Japanese demonstrations involving several thousand people took place in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Qingdao and Chengdu.

Later, 1,000 Chinese fishing boats make their way to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands. On the same day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC announced that the Chinese government was ready to submit part of the documents regarding the outer limit of the continental shelf beyond the 200-mile maritime zone in the East China Sea to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, established on the basis of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Two of the 11 Chinese military patrol ships cruising near the Senkaku Islands entered Japanese territorial waters.

Geography

On the night of June 9, a Chinese Navy frigate approached within 24 nautical miles (38 km) of the coast of the Senkaku Islands (Chinese name for Diaoyu), whose ownership is disputed by Tokyo and Beijing. Previously in the same area, but without violating the territorial waters of Japan,

Japanese Cabinet Secretary General Yoshihide Suga during a press conference, he said that these maneuvers are of serious concern to Tokyo. The government, according to Sugi, will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident to determine whether the actions of the Russian and Chinese ships were coordinated.

Recall that the dispute between China and Japan over the ownership of the islands are coming since the early 1970s. In September 2012, the situation escalated after the Japanese government bought three of the five islands of the Senkaku (Diaoyu) archipelago from a private Japanese owner.

About what are the disputed Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands in the East China Sea, says AiF.ru.

One of the Senkaku Islands. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Senkaku (尖閣諸島, senkaku-shōto:) or Diaoyudao (traditional Chinese 釣魚台群島 - "fishing islands") is an archipelago in the East China Sea, 170 km northeast of Taiwan.

Consists of eight islands: Uotsurishima (Diaoyu-dao), Taishoto (Chivei-yu), Kubashima (Huangwei-yu), Kitakojima (Bei Xiao-dao), Minamikojima (Nan Xiao-dao), Oki-no-Kitaiva (Da Bei Xiao-dao), Oki-no-Minamiiwa (Da Nan Xiao-dao), Tobise (Fei Chiao-yan).

• Largest Island: Wotsurishima
• total area: 7 km²
• highest point: 383 m
• Minerals: oil and gas reserves have been discovered on the shelf, there are rich fish resources

Senkaku Islands. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Are the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands inhabited?

No, these rocky islands are uninhabited. Both Japan and China sometimes send their official delegations to them. Landed people usually raise their National flag and then they go back.

What is the importance of these islands for Japan and China?

These islands are of interest due to their strategic position, the possession of them expands the possibility of both civilian and military navigation. In addition, fishing is possible in the area. But the dispute over the islands between China and Japan arose for a different reason. In 1968, specialists from the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and Far East discovered rich reserves of oil and natural gas on the shelf of the islands. According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry of Japan as of November 1975, offshore oil reserves amounted to about 700 million tons, and gas - 200 billion cubic meters.

Senkaku Islands. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Island dispute between Japan and China

The prerequisites for the emergence of disagreements about the ownership of practically uninhabited islands were established in 1895 when they first came under Japanese control following the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895).

According to the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which secured the victory of the Japanese over imperial China, Beijing ceded Senkaku and Taiwan. In 1932, the Japanese government sold four islands to private ownership, and left one - Taisho - for itself.

After the end of World War II, when the Japanese lost all the lands they had captured since the end of the 19th century, the archipelago came under the temporary jurisdiction of the United States, and in 1972 it was transferred by the Americans to Japan, which considers it extreme point island prefecture of Okinawa and native Japanese territory. US recognizes sovereignty Japanese side over this territory and believe that the controversial issue falls under the agreement on mutual cooperation and security guarantees between the United States and Japan of 1960. In turn, China considers the Diaoyu archipelago to be primordially Chinese land.

Beijing and Tokyo cannot determine the course of the border between the exclusive economic zones in the area of ​​the islands. Japan insists on passing the dividing line in the middle body of water, PRC - on moving the line closer to the Japanese coast.

In 1978, after the signing of the Japanese-Chinese Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation, Japan and the PRC announced a freeze on the debate over the islands. In April 1992, during a visit to Tokyo by General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee Jiang Zemin, territorial sports were put aside for future generations.

On September 11, 2012, the Japanese government nationalized three islands - Uotsuri, Kitako and Minamiko, signing a contract with a private owner to purchase these islands for $ 26 million. Prior to the nationalization of the islands, Japan rented them from the Kurihara family. Rent annually cost the state 314 thousand dollars.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged Japan to reconsider its decision to nationalize them, the Chinese Defense Ministry stressed that "China's armed forces reserve the right to retaliate in connection with Japan's purchase of the Diaoyu Islands."

On September 14, 2012, six PRC patrol ships entered the territorial waters that Japan considers its own. The demonstrative entry of Chinese guards became the largest in the history of the territorial conflict between Tokyo and Beijing around Senkaku and lasted about seven hours.

On September 17, 2012, amid the escalating dispute with Japan over the islands, China began air force exercises with the participation of its latest fighters and landing ships. On the same day, a flotilla of a thousand Chinese fishing boats advanced to the shores of the archipelago.

On September 25, 2012, Taiwan openly joined the conflict. About 50 Taiwanese ships tried to break through to Senkaku. The Japanese border guards were forced to use powerful water cannons and eventually pushed them into international waters.

On January 30, 2013, a Chinese frigate temporarily targeted a Japanese patrol vessel in the area of ​​the disputed islands. According to the conclusion of the Japanese side, it was a "firing guidance radar." In connection with this incident, the Japanese government decided to form a special detachment of the country's self-defense forces to protect the Senkaku Islands, consisting of 20 patrol ships and 13 aircraft.

On July 23, 2013, the Marine Police Department was established in the PRC, whose functions include, in particular, "protection of the country's sovereignty over territorial waters."

On July 24, 2013, ships of the Chinese maritime police entered the zone that Tokyo considers its territorial waters for the first time. The Japanese border guards did not take active steps, fearing the escalation of the conflict.

On July 29-30, 2013, during a visit to China by Japanese First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Akitaka Saiki, he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on bilateral relations, including the conflict over the islands. An agreement was reached to continue negotiations at different levels.

In September 2013, due to the conflict over the islands, the Chinese authorities refused to hold a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G20 summit in St. Petersburg.

On October 3, 2013, in Tokyo, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel confirmed that the Senkaku Islands are subject to Japanese administrative rights, and therefore the provisions of the bilateral security treaty apply to them. This means that Washington will come to the aid of Japan in the event of a clash with China near these islands.

On November 6, 2013, the Japan Self-Defense Forces deployed SSM-1 (SSM-1) anti-ship missiles for the first time on the islands of Miyako and Okinawa, targeting international straits leading from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

On November 16, 2013, four boats of the PRC Marine Police entered the area where the islands are located, this call was the 70th since the nationalization of this territory by the Japanese government on September 11, 2012.

On November 23, 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced the creation of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea, which, in particular, extends to the disputed islands. According to the order of the Ministry of Defense of the PRC, the Chinese armed forces will now apply defensive measures against any aircraft that do not respond to requests and do not obey orders while in this zone. As stated in the document, when passing through the identification zone, foreign aircraft must submit a flight plan to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in advance, respond to identification requests, and have clear identification marks on board. Japan and South Korea protested to China in this regard, and the United States expressed serious concern to China and confirmed that it extends to the Senkaku Islands its obligations to defend Japan in accordance with the 1960 bilateral security treaty.

November 25, 2013 Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Qin Gang stated that China does not exclude the possibility of establishing additional air defense identification zones in the future in other areas, in particular, in the South China Sea.

Airlines of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have already confirmed that they plan to notify the PRC authorities of flights via air space identification zone.

China and Japan have not divided the disputed Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku) for many decades. Both states consider them their own, referring to historical references. Many negotiations and high-level meetings were held, but the issue remained unresolved. A month ago, a territorial dispute flared up with new force. For what samecan he lead?

China thinks Japan stole the islands

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, speaking at a session of the UN General Assembly, accused Japan of stealing the Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku in Japanese) from China. "Japan's actions are completely illegal and unacceptable. The Japanese authorities cannot replace the story that Japan stole the Diaoyu and then annexed the islands belonging to China," Yang Jiechi said last Friday. "China strongly urges the Japanese authorities to immediately stop any activity that violates the sovereignty of China, and take concrete measures to correct their mistakes and return to the negotiated path of resolving this problem," he added. Beijing expressed disappointment with the behavior of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who made it clear that he did not plan to change his position on the Senkaku Islands. "China strongly protests against the stubbornness of the Japanese leader, who takes the wrong position," Qin Gang said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman also accused Japan of ignoring historical facts and provisions international law. Recall that relations between Japan and China deteriorated sharply after the purchase by the Japanese government (from a private owner) of three of the five islands of this archipelago.

Japan responded to allegations

The Japanese government condemned statements by Chinese diplomats who accused Tokyo of stealing Chinese territory. The Japanese authorities noted that Senkaku is the ancestral Japanese lands both from a historical point of view and from the point of view of international law. "The statements of the representatives of China completely ignore history. We cannot agree with them. The Senkaku Islands are our lands that we have owned all the time. Therefore, China's current position on these islands is one-sided," said Yoshihide Suga, Secretary General of the Japanese Cabinet of Ministers.

The essence of the territorial dispute

Diaoyu Islands were discovered by the Chinese, but in the end 19th century they were ceded to Japan following the First Sino-Japanese War. However, some time later, after the loss of Germany and Japan in World War II, Japan lost the right to the conquered territories. These islands came under the jurisdiction of the United States. In the 1970s, Washington returned Okinawa with the Senkaku archipelago to Japan. Some analysts believe that the sea shelf around these islands contains significant reserves of gas and oil. The territorial conflict between China and Japan escalated in September 2012. Then Tokyo announced the procedure for the nationalization of the islands through their acquisition from private owners. This fact caused a sharp protest in China, a wave of anti-Japanese demonstrations took place throughout the country. Since then, China has regularly sent its own patrol ships to the disputed territories, thus causing outrage in Japan.

In early 2013, Tokyo announced its intention to create a special unit to protect these islands. It should include several hundred officers, as well as more than ten patrol boats. In addition, the Japanese government this year for the first time in 11 years increased military spending by $1.5 billion. Tokyo did not hide the fact that this was done in opposition to Beijing, which was building up its military power.

The other day, Beijing made new claims to Japanese lands. We are talking about the Ryukyu archipelago. According to the Chinese general Liu Yuan, the archipelago paid tribute to China since 1372, that is, 500 years before it became Japanese. "The Ryukyu Islands were definitely a vassal state," said the general. According to many analysts, talk about Ryukyu ownership is Beijing's new move in the fight for Senkaku Island.

The US adds fuel to the fire

The United States is a vocal opponent of China's emerging dominance. They are striving with all their might to reduce the power of the PRC, and territorial conflict- a good reason for this. If earlier relations between Japan and China were mainly limited to mutual accusations, then with the advent of the Americans, saber-rattling began. Japan and the United States are developing a joint action plan to repel a potential Chinese attack on disputed territories in the East China Sea.

On March 20, a spokesman for the United States Department of Defense reported that General Shigeru Iwasaki, head of the Japanese Chiefs of Staff, had met with Samuel Locklear, commander of US forces in the area Pacific Ocean, to discuss a plan to repel a possible attack from China. In turn, Chinese General Liu Yuan said that "there is no need to resort to military measures to resolve the dispute, and the authorities will do their best to avoid violence." But when the United States, which really loves to fight somewhere, comes into play, it will be quite difficult to keep the peace.

Japan-China territorial dispute threatens Asian economies

The aggravated dispute between Japan and China over a group of uninhabited islands is already negatively affecting the work of companies in various sectors of the economy - from tourism to the automotive industry. Experts suggest that the consequences of this conflict could cause millions in losses for companies, as well as exacerbate the position of the leading Asian economies. For example, Mitsubishi Motors cut its exports to China by 50 percent last week. According to the president of the Japanese company, this decision was made due to the growing island dispute between Japan and China and the boycott of Japanese goods in China. Japan's largest automakers are reporting a sharp drop in sales in China, with sales down 63 percent for Mitsubishi, 49 percent for Toyota, 43 percent for Suzuki, 41 percent for Honda, and 35 percent for Nissan and Mazda.