China invades "Japanese" territorial waters again! Why doesn't anybody try to stop our bullying? Why do they turn so cowardly when China comes out ready for war?
Chinese surveillance ships enter Japanese territorial waters again
Chinese vessels patrolling Diaoyutai waters: Japanese media
Four Chinese maritime surveillance vessels were spotted in waters near the disputed Diaoyutai Islands Friday, according to Japanese media reports, in what may become a routine occurrence in the near future.
It was the fifth straight day that Chinese surveillance ships entered waters adjacent to what Japan calls its territorial waters, Japan Kyodo news agency said.
A Hong Kong China News Agency report said it may become routine for China's surveillance ships to patrol waters surrounding the Diaoyutai island chain in the East China Sea, which has been under Japan's control since 1972 but is also claimed by Taiwan and China.
Hong Lei, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Wednesday that China's maritime surveillance ships will continue to patrol the Diaoyutais to safeguard its rights.
Citing Japanese Coast Guard authorities, the Kyodo report said crew members aboard one of those Chinese vessels responded to a Japanese order to stay away from the area by saying over a wireless device that they were performing official duties in waters under its jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said Thursday that a flotilla of seven Chinese warships were spotted in the open sea between the main island of Japan's Okinawa archipelago and Miyakojima Island that day.
The ministry said the fleet, composed of destroyers, frigates, submarines and disaster relief craft, was navigating in waters some 110 kilometers northeast of Miyakojima when it was spotted.
Japanese media reports said the passage of the Chinese fleet in the area might be aimed at checking the unusual convergence of three U.S. battle groups in the West Pacific in recent days.
Even Japan's "democratic" allies have abandoned it!
In the final analysis, Japan can look to its U.S. allies, but America is unlikely to relish the idea of armed conflict with China, especially over some uninhabited islands even if there are significant natural resources in the sea area around them.
The economic implications of any further escalation of the dispute are potentially serious for Japanese industry and trade. The Japanese economy is still suffering from deflation as Japan's population starts to decline. Japanese nationalists who close their eyes to these implications are making a serious error.
Japanese politicians and the Japanese electorate should not allow these disputes to escalate further. If they do, they will forfeit support from other democratic countries and will damage Japan's long-term political and economic interests.
Diplomatic procedures for the settlement of disputes have not been exhausted. Some form of compromise, including possibly joint exploitation of any natural resources in the area, should at least be considered
Hugh Cortazzi -- Britain's ambassador to Japan from 1980 to 1984
As a Japanese American who is one of the members of Congress serving on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, I think it is imperative we keep this conflict from escalating. That doesn't mean we take sides.
In sensitive situations like this, biasing one party helps little in de-escalating potentially violent conflict. It does mean, however, that we need to understand both perspectives before mediating a way forward.
Why should America engage? Not simply because we said we would as we pivoted our foreign relations focus toward the Asia Pacific but because it's in our financial and diplomatic interests.
First, with economies slowing in China and Japan and shipping routes affected, the effect will be felt soon in the United States.
Second, this is a preventable conflict and a third party is needed before bluster becomes bombings.
So what does engagement look like? For China, these are the "Diaoyu" islands. They were in China's hands long before Japan laid claim to the islands in the late 1800s. For Japan, these are the "Senkaku" islands. Their recent purchase by the Japanese government from a private owner has sparked protests. This conflict is primarily about historic grievances, identity and nationalism.
The U.N. General Assembly would have been the best forum for a conversation on how the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea might apply, but it was not used.
The United States, however, along with several of its European Union allies, is well positioned to convene a constructive conversation on resolving this conflict. If China objects to having the United States do the convening, then Washington can help find another interlocutor. Either way, the dispute is not going away.
If the United States is going to take sides, it would be wise to take both sides.
Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose