Japan in ‘impossible situation’ over Diaoyu visit request, after Blinken blasts Chinese ‘aggression’
- Tokyo faces a no-win situation after local government officials in Ishigaki asked for permission to visit the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands
- The islands are at the centre of a Japan-China territorial dispute that has been dragged into a wider battle for influence between Beijing and Washington
The request leaves Japan in a quandary as agreeing to it would further strain its already tense relationship with Beijing, while turning it down could be interpreted as a sign it does not fully call the shots over the territory.
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US Secretary of State Blinken meets Japanese prime minister Suga to ‘reaffirm US-Japan alliance’
With Beijing likely still smarting from Blinken’s words, analysts warn that a visit to the islands by a group of small-time Japanese politicians will appear particularly provocative.
The city has applied for permission to land on the five largest islands in the archipelago and install signboards bearing the new name of the territory, which it formally administers and renamed in October from Tonoshiro to Tonoshiro Senkaku.
Separately, the local authority on Monday approved a proposal from a resident calling on the national government to carry out a visual inspection of the islands from the air.