Editor's  Note

	A number of Japanese security personnel landed on the islands illegally on the evening of September 21, in the name of preventing Taiwan activists from doing so.

Latest  News

	China opposes Japanese landing on Diaoyu Islands China has strongly protested against the landing on the Diaoyu Islands by Japanese government security personnel. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei says the move constitutes a severe violation of China’s territorial sovereignty and the Chinese side has made solemn representations to the Japanese side on the issue.
	Tensions persist over Diaoyu spat Vice President Xi Jinping reiterated that territorial disputes with neighboring countries should be resolved through negotiations when addressing the opening ceremony of the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit and Forum in Nanning, capital city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on September 21.

Reactions of China and Japan
	Official Voices
	●China opposes Japanese landing on Diaoyu Islands Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei notes that China will continue to take measures to defend its sovereignty over the territory.
	●China asks Japan to stop infringing its territorial sovereignty China asked Japan to immediately stop all acts that harm China's territorial sovereignty, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said late Saturday, after some Japanese landed on the Diaoyu Islands.
	Actions
	●China announces names of geographic entities on Diaoyu Islands The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on September 21 jointly released a list of standardized names for the geographic entities on the Diaoyu Island and some of its affiliated islets.
	●Taiwan civilian ship enters Diaoyu Islands waters A civilian ship from Taiwan on Friday entered the waters around the Diaoyu Islands and left after being threatened by Japanese ships, Taiwanese media reported on September 22.
	●China absent at Japan's travel expo China has opted out of attending Asia's biggest travel fair. The 2012 Japan International Travel Fair was held in Tokyo on Saturday. Delegations from across 150 countries and regions attend the expo. Organisers say that China’s absence was the biggest regret for the expo.
	●China airlines cancle flights to Japan China Southern Airlines, has reduced the number of flights between Guangzhou to Osaka and Fukuoka, Dalian to Saooiro, and Shenyang to Fukuoka due to the cancellation of trips by Chinese holidaymakers.
	●Right-wing activists stage mass anti-China rally in Tokyo A group of about 1,400 right-wing activists staged a mass anti-China demonstration in Tokyo on September 22, vowing to defend the "Senkakus Islands" (Diaoyu Island and affiliated islets) and safeguard Japan's territorial integrity.
	●Japan Airlines to cut flights between China and Japan Japan Airlines has been forced to cancel some flights between China and Japan due to the rising Diaoyu Islands dispute.The dispute has already caused a decrease in the number of tourists from China to Japan.

View  Points

Comments:

●Noda playing with fire over Diaoyu - Global Times

The Noda administration has showed unprecedented rudeness and blind stubbornness over the Diaoyu Islands spat. It recklessly touches upon the sensitivity of bilateral ties, ignoring the possible strong reaction from China and the new balance of power. If it is true that Noda was surprised by China's reaction, he must take the issue seriously from now on.

●Japan's Noda needs to reset his China policy - Xinhua

It is quite clear that it is in the interest of all that Noda should reset his ailing China policy and embrace a responsible and rational approach for the greater good.

Experts' opinions:

●Japanese professor: Japan has handled Diaoyu Islands wrongly

Professor Kenichi Uezato, who studies Chinese Poetry at the Okinawa-based University of the Ryukyus, said, "The Japanese government should not worsen its relations with China by Diaoyu Islands issue. On this issue, Japan should not irritate China. Meanwhile, Japan can not explain clearly to its own people and foreign people that Diaoyu Islands belong to Japan."

●US expert: Japan broke consensus with China on Diaoyu Islands

The Japanese government's bid to "nationalize" the Diaoyu Islandshad broken its consensus with China to shelve the territorial dispute, said Kenneth Lieberthal, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who had been the senior director for Asia at the National Security Council in the Clinton administration.

●Chinese researcher: Special research on Diaoyu issue vital to future

There are two reasons Japan is so confident about the Diaoyu Islands. One is the dependence on covert support by the US, and the other is on its own military and economic power. However, such situation will change. Some scholars think that, in 30 years' time, we will have more policy space in dealing with territorial issues. This is the so-called "long-term potential" we expect.

Media digests - China slams landing of Japanese police on Diaoyu Islands:

People’s Daily on Sunday said the political trick of the Japanese government and Japan’s right-wing activists on the Diaoyu Islands was not a simple coincidence but rooted in the increasing rightist sentiment from the Japanese government, its tougher diplomacy, and strained relationship with its neighbors.

China Youth Daily on Sunday attributed Japan’s series of territorial challenges with China to Japan’s misjudging the current situation, such as its domestic political situation, the possibility of the US protecting Japan amid the island row, and China’s firm stance over guarding its territory.

Phoenix TV reported Saturday both China and Japan need to calm down on addressing the Diaoyu issue via negotiations to avoid accidental clashes in politics, economics, and diplomacy as well as with law enforcement around the Diaoyu waters.

The Beijing-based financial news portal caixun.com held that the landing of Japanese police on the Diaoyu Islands Friday was more serious than that of the previous landing of the two Japanese right-wingers.

The landing of the Japanese police, due to their identity, could be regarded as Japan’s outspoken infringement of China’s sovereignty, the report said.

Photo  Gallery

Background

Recent Landings on Diaoyu Islands
Sept 18	Japan: Two Japanese activists arrived on the Diaoyu Islands in a small boat in the  morning and swam to the island, and they returned to their boat shortly afterward, according to reports.
Aug 19	Japan: The Japanese Maritime Safety Agency confirmed that 10 Japanese activists landed on the Diaoyu Islands Sunday, local media reported.
Aug 15	China: Japan in total arrested 14 Chinese activists on Wednesday including seven who landed on the Diaoyu Islands at around 5:30 p.m. local time on suspicion of illegal entry, and would later detain the vessel, according to police from Japan's Okinawa.
July 5	Japan: Media reports said two Japanese right-wing activists went ashore on Beixiaodao, an islet of the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea on Thursday.
Jan 3	China: According to Japanese media, four Japanese citizens, including municipal politicians, landed on the islands in the East China Sea on Tuesday morning. The group sailed to the uninhabited islets aboard a fishing boat and stayed there for more than two hours.

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