Support in China for Japanese Separatists

Beijing has opened a new front in its war of words with Tokyo over the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea. The semi-official Chinese daily Global Times published an article May 17 suggesting that Beijing should encourage the public to support a new organization seeking independence from Japan for Okinawa and the other Ryukyu islands. The group is quite small, however, and supporting it could prove problematic for China.