After an extended period of calm, leaders in Tokyo and Beijing are again allowing their relations to be dictated by domestic politics.
Nationalism once again threatens to undermine the relative calm in the China-Japan relationship that has prevailed since the 2010 Senkaku crisis.
Although Chinese leaders are the oft-cited pawns of nationalist agitators, since April Japanese leaders appear to be seduced by the efforts of the controversial Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro to buy the disputed Senkaku Islands. If the sale is completed when the government’s current lease expires, it could trigger a potentially devastating crisis in Sino-Japanese relations. Japanese leaders seem unable or unwilling to condemn Ishihara’s efforts, which have unsurprisingly triggered assertive responses from China.
Speaking at the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C. on April 17, Ishihara suggested that his government might be interested in purchasing four of the Senkaku islands from their private owners. This is not the first time nationalists in Japan have triggered crises over the islands. In 1996 members of Nihon Seinensha constructed a lighthouse on Kita Kojima to support Japan’s use of the islands as basepoints in marking its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which sparked a six month crisis over the islands. Following that crisis however, leaders in Beijing and Tokyo agreed not to be provoked by nationalist provocations. Thus, when outspoken nationalist Diet member Nishimura Shingo landed on Uotsuri-shima in 1997, then Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Cui Tiankai noted that his actions “contravened the policy of the Japanese government.”
Such provocations from Ishihara are also not new. In the past, Tokyo's governor gave a street address to Okinotorishima, an islet 1740km southeast of Tokyo that serves as the basis for Japan’s EEZ claim into the Pacific. China disputes Japan’s claim that the feature entitles it support its claims to an EEZ or an extended continental shelf. Although that effort was widely regarded as absurd, this time Ishihara has stumbled on an idea that seems to resonate with some portion of the Japanese population. Donations to fund the purchase of the islands have poured in, totaling 1.4 billion yen at the end of the July.
Photo Credit: Wikicommons
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Micheal
I think many here are missing the mark on China and Japan and this dispute. When we look at history and current leaders in Japan, we can conclude that Japan has been the instigator in this mess. Do you live in Japan? Have you been a subject under Ishiharas rule? He openly ridicules foreigners and is a hero amongst the right wing. If Ishi had his way, we would all be worshiping the Emperor and live in some Fascist state he wants to create. This loon was the governor of one of the most largest cities in the world, but the world pays no attention. Many Japanese are masters of manipulation, and Ishi has manipulated the world to start trouble. Remember Korea and China? Japan created many "incidents" to justify wars in those countries. These islands belong to Tawain, just look at he proximity. Japan is thousands of kilometers away. Im no fan of China, but be very careful of anything that comes out of Japan.
John
This is a sensible, even-handed article by James Manicom who recognizes that the nationalization of the islands was 1. Ishihara's aim when he announced his plan for the Tokyo city government to buy them – that is to say Ishihara bounced Noda into the nationalization. 2. The nationalization changed the status quo – which had been for the two sides to shelve the issue.
Unfortunately since then the mood has changed and all subsequent Western comments have characterized Noda's nationalization as designed to defuse the dispute (when it was plainly a concession to the Japanese extreme right) and have heaped all the blame on China. Evidently when James wrote his article the Washington party line had not been properly communicated.
JohnX
John Chan wrote: "@JohnX,
Japan does not the right to the islands because Japan is one of the evil axis powers, it has not yet show remorse about the war crimes against humanity, it is an aggressor and a bad guy, it is an American lackey that is destroying the peace and prosperity of Asia, it is a law breaker, it does not obey the surrender terms it signed, …"
Sorry John Chan, but I am starting to read all that you post as 'blah, blah, blah'. It doesn't educate, or illuminate any one.