Japan, China: New Tensions in Islands Dispute

The ongoing dispute over the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands in Chinese) was recently reinvigorated when Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced July 7 that his government planned to purchase the islands and that it had already begun negotiations with the islands' owners, the Kurihara family. Japan, China and Taiwan all claim these islands in the East China Sea, and Beijing quickly opposed Noda's statement and warned that it would take necessary measures to safeguard Chinese sovereignty. Then on July 10, Chinese People's Liberation Army Gen. Luo Yuan, known for his militarily aggressive stance, said the PLA should use the islands for military exercises to increase China's presence in the region and counter Japan's territorial claims.

Domestic politics are driving Tokyo's move to buy the Senkaku Islands. The announcement of the plan was the Noda Cabinet's response to what it perceives as a shift toward increasingly conservative and nationalist rhetoric in Japan's domestic political discourse. Though buying the islands is an abstract move that would change little in terms of the reality on the ground in the short term, it is somewhat troubling for China because it shows the level of political influence held by those calling for a more assertive Japan. This could foreshadow larger changes in Japan's international conduct that would have important regional implications.