China, Japan playing with fire in East China Sea

The rocky East China Sea archipelago known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China is one of the hottest flashpoints in Asia. /Image via The Guardian


North Korea is not the only threat to global security in Asia.

The ongoing dispute between China and Japan over craggy islands in the East China Sea is heating up, with Japan accusing its longtime regional rival of locking naval firing system radar on a Japanese destroyer and helicopter last month. Japan is the leading U.S. ally in the region. Given the American-Japanese military assistance pact in place since the end of World War II, if any armed conflict arises over the territorial dispute, the United States would likely be drawn into the confrontation.

The islands have been a source of geopolitical friction between China and Japan for more than 100 years. And the discovery of natural gas deposits under the ocean floor around the islands has raised the stakes. An agreement between the energy-hungry nations to conduct joint development of the archipelago's natural gas potential has been on hold since 2008.

I wonder how John Kerry is liking his new job in the State Department.