Public Relations

COLLAPSE

Japan and China are presently involved in a territorial dispute relating to multiple islands in the East China Sea. Japan presently controls the island but China also claims a sovereign right to them. Both nations have vowed to achieve a peaceful resolution but so far none are in sight. The dispute has caused over $340 billion in trade damages and threatens to involve the United States due to its strong alliance and military ties with Japan.

Week 1

New York Times - Jan. 20 Jane Perlez - An article in today's New York Times points out remarks China has made regarding U.S. Secretary of State Clinton's comments on the dispute. The comments involved the U.S. not supporting unilateral action in deciding ownership of the islands. The times attempts to portray China's objection as a result of language translation in the Japanese media which they say slanted the comment in a pro - Japanese way. The article then went into a long series of notes concerning a possible escalation of hostility between the two countries as well as possible U.S. involvement.

BBC - Jan. 22 Today, the BBC released a web article focused around answering general questions regarding the conflict. The article explained that eight uninhabited islands are involved covering a total of 7 sq km. It then details the various claims that each nation has to the territory. This section is most important because coverage seems to be relatively equal with the news agency withholding a bias towards either nation.

Reuters - Jan. 24 Michelle Nichols - Tonight, Reuters offered the perspective of the United Nations on the conflict. In short, the article explains how China's claim to the islands might have scientific backing as it asserts that the islands themselves are a natural extension of the continental shelf around China and therefore a protrusion of the nation itself. The article remains impartial, yet at the end reminds us of the potential for military conflict by mentioned the scrambling of Japanese fighter jets in response to ward of approaching Chinese aircraft.

NBC - Jan. 25 Christopher Bodeen - In a change of tone from other recent coverage, today NBC reported on a letter that was sent from Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. While the letter did not mention the island dispute specifically, it did call for peace between the nations as well as wishes of good health. This article is a decisive change from the sensationalism and implications of possible military conflict that has been present in other recent coverage of the issue.

AlJazeera - Jan. 25 - Today, AlJazeera released an article pointing out recent joint air military exercises between the United States and Japan. The article mainly focuses on the details surrounding the exercises followed by an immediate shift to giving background information about the island