Japan has to change attitude

Japan has abandoned reason and ignored China's protests to "nationalize" the Diaoyu Islands, which are an integral part of Chinese territory. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has defended his government's decision, saying the move is aimed at "long-term", steady and effective management" of the islands which he claims to be Japanese territory.

Japan has also said that there is no territorial dispute with China over the islands' sovereignty and that the "nationalization" is Japan's internal affair and only a transfer of the islands' ownership from their "private owner" to the government. This is Japan's blatant attempt to deny the agreement with China over the Diaoyu Islands and a concrete step toward reinforcing its illegal occupation of the islands.

Japan changed its attitude toward the islands when a Chinese fishing trawler collided with two Japanese coast guard vessels in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands in September 2010. This change in Japan's attitude came amid rising nationalism in Japan and at a time when the country's post-World War II politicians were struggling to adapt to China's increasing influence in the world without any idea of how to establish a stable relationship with Beijing.