In the News

Diaoyutais, Taiwan same color on old Japanese map

• Publication Date：10/04/2010
• Source： Liberty Times

Former Zhongli City Deputy Mayor Yeh Lian-deng has an old map in his collection dating from 1937 that he says suggests the disputed Diaoyutai Islands belong to Taiwan.

While the color of the Diaoyutais is the same as that of Taiwan on the map, nearby Okinawa, Yeh pointed out, is clearly shown as the territory of Japan.

Yeh said the Japanese were very careful when publishing maps and the map in his possession clearly indicates that the Diaoyutais are part of Taiwan, which itself was under Japanese control from 1895 to 1945. With the map as evidence, he said Taiwan should not let others take "what is rightfully its own."

The old map was published prominently on the first page of an 18-volume encyclopedia released by Toyama Prefecture. Yeh came across the encyclopedia 30 years ago in downtown Taipei’s Guling Street (then a famous used-book street).

Using a magnifying glass to take a closer look at the map of the Japanese empire, he was surprised to discover that both Taiwan and the Diaoyutai Islands were shown in light red. Notes next to the map indicated that the two areas in 1905 were "a new territory" and "a concession."

Japan refers to the disputed islands as the Senkakus. In the year the map was published, the Senkaku Islands and nearby Yonaguni Island were shown as the same color as that of Taiwan, while Okinawa was the same shade of red as that of Japan.

Meanwhile, a topographic map indicated that the Diaoyutais belong to the Mount Datun volcanic belt, as the geology of the two places is the same. With the map in hand, Yeh said he believes that the Diaoyutais "certainly belong to Taiwan."

(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times Oct. 3.)