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China-Japan-Koreas

Japan move on islands 'severe provocation'

2005-02-13

China has accused Japan of a "severe provocation" after Tokyo moved to take over a lighthouse built years ago by right-wing activists on a small, disputed group of islands in the East China Sea. An unidentified official from the Foreign Ministry's Asian department had made solemn representations to the Japanese over the incident, the ministry said in a statement seen on its Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn) on Saturday. "Japan's actions are a severe provocation and infringement on China's territorial sovereignty and are absolutely unacceptable by the Chinese government and people," the official said.

"The unilateral moves taken by the Japanese side are illegal and invalid," the official added, echoing a statement by Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan on Wednesday. The official reiterated China's claims to sovereignty over the islands, known to Chinese as the Diaoyu islands and to Japanese as Senkakus, saying "China has irrefutable sovereignty over all these islands". In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told a news conference on Wednesday that Japan's Coast Guard would take over maintenance and management of the lighthouse, adding that the group who built it had given up their rights to it. Despite growing economic interdependence, bilateral ties have been chilled by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a Tokyo shrine which honours war criminals along with other war dead. Territorial disputes and a Chinese nuclear submarine's intrusion into Japanese waters in November are other irritants.

Posted by:Fred

#10 Thing is, the Chinese and Koreans (and perhaps the Philipinos) are the ONLY people in the world who are ahead of the US in terms of worrying about a remilitarized, nuclear armed Japan.

Surveys in Japan have in the past shown plenty of the racial superiority doctrine still hold part fo the beleifes of the Japanese as a people, and the martial parts of its society can be easily regrown in such fertile soil, especially under threat. The problem with that is to get the genie back in the bottle before it starts reaching out to grab what it beleives is "due" to Japan as its "right".

So yes this scares the Chinese and eventually the Koreans. But in the long run, it scares the US as well - the ONE opponent we do not want to have to go against is a remilitarized nuclear Japan. And that will temper our foreign policy in terms of playign the "Japan Card" to increase the Chinese urgency and the need to clear N.Korea and the nutbag Kim.

Because if Japan becomes China's worst problem, within a generation it will be a big problem for the USA as well.

Posted by: OldSpook 2005-02-13 8:54:16 PM

#9 If they don't like the Japanese now, wait until North Korea's nuclear sabre rattling and South Koreas lefty cowardice combine to force Japan to re-arm, with nukes of their own.

That'll scare the crap out of China. A high tech military power in their own back yard. With plenty of reach into China, via missles, aircraft, and more imporatantly, electronics (spy satellites, radars, and the internet).

Posted by: OldSpook 2005-02-13 11:40:57 AM

#8 Thing is, the Chinese and Koreans (and perhaps the Philipinos) are the ONLY people in the world who are ahead of the US in terms of worrying about a remilitarized, nuclear armed Japan.

Surveys in Japan have in the past shown plenty of the racial superiority doctrine still hold part fo the beleifes of the Japanese as a people, and the martial parts of its society can be easily regrown in such fertile soil, especially under threat. The problem with that is to get the genie back in the bottle before it starts reaching out to grab what it beleives is "due" to Japan as its "right".

So yes this scares the Chinese and eventually the Koreans. But in the long run, it scares the US as well - the ONE opponent we do not want to have to go against is a remilitarized nuclear Japan. And that will temper our foreign policy in terms of playign the "Japan Card" to increase the Chinese urgency and the need to clear N.Korea and the nutbag Kim.

Because if Japan becomes China's worst problem, within a generation it will be a big problem for the USA as well.

Posted by: OldSpook 2005-02-13 8:54:16 PM

#7 If they don't like the Japanese now, wait until North Korea's nuclear sabre rattling and South Koreas lefty cowardice combine to force Japan to re-arm, with nukes of their own.

That'll scare the crap out of China. A high tech military power in their own back yard. With plenty of reach into China, via missles, aircraft, and more imporatantly, electronics (spy satellites, radars, and the internet).

Posted by: OldSpook 2005-02-13 11:40:57 AM

#6 Thing is, the Chinese and Koreans (and perhaps the Philipinos) are the ONLY people in the world who are ahead of the US in terms of worrying about a remilitarized, nuclear armed Japan.

Surveys in Japan have in the past shown plenty of the racial superiority doctrine still hold part fo the beleifes of the Japanese as a people, and the martial parts of its society can be easily regrown in such fertile soil, especially under threat. The problem with that is to get the genie back in the bottle before it starts reaching out to grab what it beleives is "due" to Japan as its "right".

So yes this scares the Chinese and eventually the Koreans. But in the long run, it scares the US as well - the ONE opponent we do not want to have to go against is a remilitarized nuclear Japan. And that will temper our foreign policy in terms of playign the "Japan Card" to increase the Chinese urgency and the need to clear N.Korea and the nutbag Kim.

Because if Japan becomes China's worst problem, within a generation it will be a big problem for the USA as well.

Posted by: OldSpook 2005-02-13 8:54:16 PM

#5 after the missile from NK cleared Japan's mainland they'd be fools not to

Posted by: Frank G 2005-02-13 7:49:02 PM

#4 OldSpook is dead on - an armed extremely high tech military like Japan on your door step is enough to give any nation pause.

The word is that Japan is a de facto nuclear power. All they have to do is assemble the weapons at this point. All the bits and pcs. are there - have been.

Posted by: JP 2005-02-13 7:30:26 PM

#3 If they don't like the Japanese now, wait until North Korea's nuclear sabre rattling and South Koreas lefty cowardice combine to force Japan to re-arm, with nukes of their own.

That'll scare the crap out of China. A high tech military power in their own back yard. With plenty of reach into China, via missles, aircraft, and more imporatantly, electronics (spy satellites, radars, and the internet).

Posted by: OldSpook 2005-02-13 11:40:57 AM

#2 Perhaps the Chinese leadership should start building an invasion fleet to take over these islands. It is so humiliating to their sensitive natures, and they have nothing better to do.

Posted by: HV 2005-02-13 8:47:29 AM

#1 Heh. Nibble, nibble. Poke, poke. The ChiComs are receiving their wake-up call - bit by bit - and grumpy got up on the wrong side of the bed. This is getting very interesting.

Posted by: .com 2005-02-13 2:55:22 AM

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