Tokyo Governor Visits Japan's Southernmost Island Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara visited Japan's southernmost island Okinotorishima on May 20, 2005. He boarded a ship chartered by the Tokyo government at Chichijima island in Tokyo's Ogasawara village. He reached the nearby waters of Okinotorishima about 1:00 p.m. on May 19. After overviewing the island from the ship sailing around it, he and his inspection team landed. Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry officials explained to him about its anti-erosion peripheral embankment and other facilities. He kissed the stone monument, unfolded a Japanese national flag that he had brought and snorkeled to observe the surrounding seabed. Okinotorishima consists of two islets: the northern one is Kita-kojima and the eastern one is Higashi-kojima. Japan claims the 40,000-square-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the island. But actually, it just juts out above the sea by only about 20 centimeters at full tide. The Japanese government had built the embankment to prevent its submergence. But China denies Japan's claim on the EEZ around it, contending that it is just a rock in the ocean. China's natural resources investigation vessels had often intruded on the Japanese EEZ without prior notice or permission in recent years. The Tokyo government has been supporting fishery operations in the sea area since April 2005. The inspection this time was intended to reclaim Japan's EEZ around the island. ● 沖ノ鳥島 01 - 島の概要とその可能性 Part1 ● 沖ノ鳥島 02 - 島の概要とその可能性 Part2 ● 沖ノ鳥島 03 - 島の秘密 Part1 ● 沖ノ鳥島 04 - 島の秘密 Part2 ● Protecting the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)　 　(The Ministery of Land, transport and Infrastructure web page) [Vocabulary] ・inspect verb 1 ~ sth/sb (for sth) to look closely at sth/sb, especially to check that everything is satisfactory examine: The teacher walked around inspecting their work. The plants are regularly inspected for disease. Make sure you inspect the goods before signing for them. ・intrude verb 1 ~ (into / on / upon sb/sth) to go or be somewhere where you are not wanted or are not supposed to be: I'm sorry to intrude, but I need to talk to someone. legislation to stop newspapers from intruding on people's private lives 2 ~ (on / into upon sth) to disturb sth or have an unpleasant effect on it: The sound of the telephone intruded into his dreams. ・invade verb 1 to enter a country, town, etc. using military force in order to take control of it: [v] Troops invaded on August 9th that year. [vn] When did the Romans invade Britain? 2 [vn] to enter a place in large numbers, especially in a way that causes damage or confusion: Demonstrators invaded the government buildings. As the final whistle blew, fans began invading the field. The cancer cells may invade other parts of the body. 3 [vn] to affect sth in an unpleasant or annoying way: Do the press have the right to invade her privacy in this way? -see also invasion, invasive ・deny verb 1 to say that sth is not true: [vn] to deny a claim / a charge / an accusation The spokesman refused either to confirm or deny the reports. There’s no denying (the fact) that quicker action could have saved them. [v -ing] He denies attempting to murder his wife. [v (that)] She denied (that) there had been any cover-up. [vn that] It can’t be denied that we need to devote more resources to this problem. 2 [vn] to refuse to admit or accept sth: She denied all knowledge of the incident. The department denies responsibility for what occurred. 3 ~ sth (to sb)| ~ (sb) (sth) (formal) to refuse to allow sb to have sth that they want or ask for: [vnn, vn] They were denied access to the information. Access to the information was denied to them. 4 [vn] ~ yourself (sth) (formal) to refuse to let yourself have sth that you would like to have, especially for moral or religious reasons ・territorial adj. 1 connected with the land or sea that is owned by a particular country: territorial disputes Both countries feel they have territorial claims to (= have a right to own) the islands. ・claim n. noun SAYING STH IS TRUE 1 [C] ~ (that ... ) a statement that sth is true although it has not been proved and other people may not agree with or believe it: The singer has denied the magazine’s claim that she is leaving the band. LEGAL RIGHT 2 [C, U] ~ (on / to sth) a right that sb believes they have to sth, especially property, land, etc.: They had no claim on the land. She has more claim to the book’s success than anybody (= she deserves to be praised for it). ・contend verb 1 (formal) to say that sth is true, especially in an argument maintain: [v that] I would contend that the minister’s thinking is flawed on this point. [also vn that] Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (OALD) ・claim vt. 1. legal right [transitive] to state that you have a right to take or have something that is legally yours: The majority of those who claim asylum are genuine refugees. Lost property can be claimed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE)