The Sino-Japanese row over the Senkaku Islands lingers on. The current round of the conflict started with the "purchase" of them by the Japanese government. The islands used to be owned by a Japanese citizen, but the flamboyant right-wing mayor of Tokyo city, Mr. Ishihara, intended to purchase them as property of Tokyo city. He wanted to build landing facilities on the islands in order to secure the ownership of the islands by Japan. As such a move would certainly have incurred strong repercussion from China, the Japanese government outbid the Tokyo city government and purchased the islands. China contends that the Japanese government would have been able to discourage Mr. Ishihara from purchase, but such coercion is impossible in our system.

Probably certain forces in China intentionally misinterpreted the move by the Japanese government in order to put their own leaders in a difficult position on the even of the Chinese Communist Party Congress; these people wanted better deals in distribution of important party posts. Their move has complicated the situation so much that so far neither China nor Japan can make any conciliatory move.

Japan did not and does not have any intention to alter the status quo around the islands, and China does not want to be labeled as aggressor, either. Yet, if China sends "fishermen" onto the islands to establish a permanent presence, the rocks will rock the entire Asia. Because the Senkaku islands are located in a strategically important place from which China will be able to establish control over the East China Sea and to grasp control South Korea's access to the sea. Besides, China will be able to freely deploy her submarines with continental missiles directed toward the U.S.

If the Senkaku fall into the hands of China, she will start seriously claiming the chain of islands between Taiwan and Okinawa (the South-Western Islands of Japan) and eventually Okinawa itself, where the U.S. maintains important bases for her Air Force and the Marines. When the South-Western Islands get under influence of China, the position of Taiwan and Japan will be greatly weakened, and they will succumb to China as leader of the entire East Asia. The U.S. armed forces will be forced to withdraw to Hawaii.

Some people in the U.S. may consider that this situation is manageable and that the U.S. and China will be able to share economic interests in Asia. But it is questionable whether China will grant fair treatment to the American interests in Asia. The stronger China will be, the more absurd her demand will become. If the U.S. attempts to appease China just for guarding U.S. economic interests, she may end up with losing all.