二、日本窃取钓鱼岛

II.Japan Grabbed Diaoyu Dao from China

日本在明治维新以后加快对外侵略扩张。1879年，日本吞并琉球并改称冲绳县。此后不久，日本便密谋侵占钓鱼岛，并于甲午战争末期将钓鱼岛秘密“编入”版图。随后，日本又迫使中国签订不平等的《马关条约》，割让台湾全岛及包括钓鱼岛在内的所有附属各岛屿。

Japan accelerated its invasion and external expansion after the Meiji Restoration. Japan seized Ryukyu in 1879 and changed its name to Okinawa Prefecture. Soon after that, Japan began to act covertly to invade and occupy Diaoyu Dao and secretly "included" Diaoyu Dao in its territory at the end of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Japan then forced China to sign the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki and cede to Japan the island of Formosa (Taiwan), together with Diaoyu Dao and all other islands appertaining or belonging to the said island of Formosa.

(一)日本密谋窃取钓鱼岛

1. Japan's covert moves to seize Diaoyu Dao

1884年，有日本人声称首次登上钓鱼岛，发现该岛为“无人岛”。日本政府随即对钓鱼岛开展秘密调查，并试图侵占。日本上述图谋引起中国的警觉。1885年9月6日(清光绪十一年七月二十八日)《申报》登载消息：“台湾东北边之海岛，近有日本人悬日旗于其上，大有占据之势。”由于顾忌中国的反应，日本政府未敢轻举妄动。

In 1884, a Japanese man claimed that he first landed on Diaoyu Dao and found the island to be uninhabited. The Japanese government then dispatched secret facts-finding missions to Diaoyu Dao and attempted to invade and occupy the island. The above-mentioned plots by Japan triggered China's alert. On September 6, 1885 (the 28th day of the 7th month in the 11th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), the Chinese newspaper Shen-pao (Shanghai News) reported: "Recently, Japanese flags have been seen on the islands northeast to Taiwan, revealing Japan's intention to occupy these islands." But the Japanese government did not dare to take any further action for fear of reaction from China.

1885年9月22日冲绳县令在对钓鱼岛进行秘密调查后向内务卿山县有朋密报称，这些无人岛“与《中山传信录》记载的钓鱼台、黄尾屿和赤尾屿应属同一岛屿”，已为清朝册封使船所详悉，并赋以名称，作为赴琉球的航海标识，因此对是否应建立国家标桩心存疑虑，请求给予指示。同年10月9日，内务卿山县有朋致函外务卿井上馨征求意见。10月21日，井上馨复函山县有朋认为，“此刻若有公然建立国标等举措，必遭清国疑忌，故当前宜仅限于实地调查及详细报告其港湾形状、有无可待日后开发之土地物产等，而建国标及着手开发等，可待他日见机而作”。井上馨还特意强调，“此次调查之事恐均不刊载官报及报纸为宜”。因此，日本政府没有同意冲绳县建立国家标桩的请求。

After the secret facts-finding missions to Diaoyu Dao, the governor of Okinawa Prefecture sent a report in secrecy to the Minister of Internal Affairs Yamagata Aritomo on September 22, 1885, saying that these uninhabited islands were, in fact, the same Diaoyu Tai, Huangwei Yu and Chiwe Yu that were recorded in the Records of Messages from Chong-shan (Zhong Shan Chuan Xin Lu) and known well to imperial title-conferring envoys of the Qing court on their voyages to Ryukyu, and that he had doubts as to whether or not sovereignty markers should be set up and therefore asked for instruction. The Minister of Internal Affairs Yamagata Aritomo solicited opinion from the Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru on October 9. Inoue Kaoru replied in a letter to Yamagata Aritomo on October 21, "At present, any open moves such as placing sovereignty markers are bound to alert the Qing imperial court. Therefore, it is advisable not to go beyond field surveys and detailed reports on the shapes of the bays, land and other resources for future development. In the meantime, we will wait for a better time to engage in such activities as putting up sovereignty markers and embarking on development on the islands." Inoue Kaoru also made a special emphasis that "it is inappropriate to publicize the missions on official gazette or newspapers." As a result, the Japanese government did not approve of the request of Okinawa Prefecture to set up sovereignty markers.

1890年1月13日，冲绳县知事又请示内务大臣，称钓鱼岛等岛屿“为无人岛，迄今尚未确定其管辖”，“请求将其划归本县管辖之八重山官署所辖”。1893年11月2日，冲绳县知事再次申请建立国标以划入版图。日本政府仍未答复。甲午战争前两个月，即1894年5月12日，冲绳县秘密调查钓鱼岛的最终结论是：“自明治十八年（1885年）派县警察对该岛进行勘察以来，未再开展进一步调查，故难提供更确切报告。……此外，没有关于该岛之旧时记录文书以及显示属我国领有的文字或口头传说的证据。”

The governor of Okinawa Prefecture submitted the matter for approval to the Minister of Internal Affairs once again on January 13, 1890, saying that Diaoyu Dao and other "above-mentioned uninhabited islands have remained under no specific jurisdiction", and that he "intends to place them under the jurisdiction of the Office of Yaeyama Islands." On November 2, 1893, the governor of Okinawa Prefecture applied once again for setting up sovereignty markers to incorporate the islands into Japan's territory. The Japanese government did not respond. On May 12, 1894, two months before the Sino-Japanese War, the secret facts-finding missions to Diaoyu Dao by Okinawa Prefecture came to a final conclusion, "Ever since the prefecture police surveyed the island in 1885 (the 18th year of the Meiji period), there have been no subsequent investigations. As a result, it is difficult to provide any specific reports on it... In addition, there exist no old records related to the said island or folklore and legends demonstrating that the island belongs to our country."

日本外务省编纂的《日本外交文书》明确记载了日本企图窃取钓鱼岛的经过，相关文件清楚地显示，当时日本政府虽然觊觎钓鱼岛，但完全清楚这些岛屿属于中国，不敢轻举妄动。

Japan's attempts to occupy Diaoyu Dao were clearly recorded in Japan Diplomatic Documents compiled by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Relevant documents evidently show that the Japanese government intended to occupy Diaoyu Dao, but refrained from acting impetuously as it was fully aware of China's sovereignty over these islands.

1894年7月，日本发动甲午战争。同年11月底，日本军队占领中国旅顺口，清朝败局已定。在此背景下，12月27日，日本内务大臣野村靖致函外务大臣陆奥宗光，认为“今昔形势已殊”，要求将在钓鱼岛建立国标、纳入版图事提交内阁会议决定。1895年1月11日，陆奥宗光回函表示支持。同年1月14日，日本内阁秘密通过决议，将钓鱼岛“编入”冲绳县管辖。

Japan waged the Sino-Japanese War in July 1894. Towards the end of November 1894, Japanese forces seized the Chinese port of Lushun (then known as Port Arthur), virtually securing defeat of the Qing court. Against such backdrop, the Japanese Minister of Internal Affairs Yasushi Nomura wrote to Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu on December 27 that the "circumstances have now changed", and called for a decision by the cabinet on the issue of setting up sovereignty markers in Diaoyu Dao and incorporating the island into Japan's territory. Mutsu Munemitsu expressed his support for the proposal in his reply to Yasushi Nomura on January 11, 1895. The Japanese cabinet secretly passed a resolution on January 14 to "place" Diaoyu Dao under the jurisdiction of Okinawa Prefecture.

日本官方文件显示，日本从1885年开始调查钓鱼岛到1895年正式窃占，始终是秘密进行的，从未公开宣示，因此进一步证明其对钓鱼岛的主权主张不具有国际法规定的效力。

Japan's official documents show that from the time of the facts-finding missions to Diaoyu Dao in 1885 to the occupation of the islands in 1895, Japan had consistently acted in secrecy without making its moves public. This further proves that Japan's claim of sovereignty over Diaoyu Dao does not have legal effect under international law.

(二)钓鱼岛随台湾岛被迫割让给日本

2. Diaoyu Dao was ceded to Japan together with the Taiwan Island

1895年4月17日，清朝在甲午战争中战败，被迫与日本签署不平等的《马关条约》，割让“台湾全岛及所有附属各岛屿”。钓鱼岛等作为台湾“附属岛屿”一并被割让给日本。1900年，日本将钓鱼岛改名为“尖阁列岛”。

On April 17, 1895, the Qing court was defeated in the Sino-Japanese War and forced to sign the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki and cede to Japan "the island of Formosa (Taiwan), together with all islands appertaining or belonging to the said island of Formosa". The Diaoyu Dao Islands were ceded to Japan as "islands appertaining or belonging to the said island of Formosa". In 1900, Japan changed the name of Diaoyu Dao to "Senkaku Islands".