AS AFM goes to press news is coming through that South Korea is to extend its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) following China's similar move in mid-November (see Headlines). At the heart of these manoeuvrings is a group of islands, called Diaoyu by China and Senkaku by Japan, over which territorial claims have been disputed by both sides since the 14th century. The modern-day argument was re-ignited in the early 1970s when oil reserves were found near the islands, and ownership was passed from the US to Japan after the 1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement, modifying the treaty signed after the Second World War. China's imposition of its ADIZ, overlapping that of Japan, has been seen by Western nations as a passive-aggressive move, although Chinese authorities insist it is complying with international law. South Korea's decision to also extend its ADIZ - giving notice that the new regulations will be in effect from December 15 - means it now overlaps with the new Chinese zone and the existing Japanese one, creating a multi-dimensional complex of identification requirements and implications for air policing. It took the action claiming that China's new ADIZ is "unacceptable", as the zone also includes airspace over South Korean territory that is disputed by China, this time a submerged rock called Ieodo on which an ocean research station platform has been built.
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