Taiwan-Japan Fishery Talks and its Impacts on the Development of Diaoyu Islands Dispute

　　Abstract: The article begins with a review of the history of fishery negotiations between Taiwan and Japan. By 2013, 17 rounds of talks have been held by the two parties. During that period, the two parties competed around such issues like “sovereignty” over the Diaoyu Islands, overlap between exclusive economic zones and maritime civil affairs. Because Japan refused to compromise, and because Taiwan didn’t firmly stand up and protect its interests in the Diaoyu Islands, it was difficult for the talks to make a breakthrough. In September 2012, Japanese purchase of the Diaoyu Islands provoked strong reactions from Taiwan and mainland China, especially from mainland China, causing a deep change in Sino-Japanese engagement around the Diaoyu Islands. Taiwan leveraged this change to realize a breakthrough in talks with Japan, and a Taiwan-Japan Fishery Agreement was finally signed.

　　This article analyzes the impacts of the signing of this agreement on the development of the Diaoyu Islands dispute. The author argues that both Japan and Taiwan takes what they wanted through signing the agreement, which is beneficial for the development of Taiwan-Japanese relations. However, the remaining passion in Taiwan’s society for protecting interests over the Diaoyu Islands will be weakened substantially, and Taiwan may be further