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Japan's renunciation of territorial rights in Antarcticaand Australian diplomacy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

Shirley V. Scott
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Abstract

By Article 2(e) of the 1951 Treaty of Peace, Japan renounced ‘allclaim to any right or title to or interest in connection with anypart of the Antarctic area.’ This paper traces the process by whichAustralian diplomacy ensured the inclusion of such a provision inthe Treaty and assesses the contemporary significance of thearticle. While in the unlikely event of the breakdown of theAntarctic Treaty System, Japan would be legally entitled to make aterritorial claim on the basis of activities undertaken between theconclusion of the Peace Treaty and the coming into force of theAntarctic Treaty, such a claim would likely be weak. It is moreprobable that the Japanese government would assert that, just asJapan had had no rights to renounce in Antarctica, neither had anyof the Antarctic claimants complied adequately with the provisionsin international law for territorial acquisition.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 35 , Issue 193 , April 1999 , pp. 99 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

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