Misperceptions, Threat Inflation and Mistrust in China-Japan Relations /

With a view to minimizing confrontation, the Noda to “take concrete actions to show its pursuit of a path of government notified Beijing of its plan to purchase the peaceful development” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the islands. [...] September 2015 for the first time allow the SDF to operate beyond Japan’s borders to assist a foreign country that is Similarly, Zhang Jian, president of the Tianjin Academy under attack, if the contingency is deemed to affect the of Social Sciences and president of the Chinese Society security of Japan. [...] The right the scope and urgency that a disinterested analysis would of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.” Under the justify.” It is a deliberate decision made by leaders for the interpretation favoured by the Japanese government, “war potential” refers to capabilities that exceed the level required for self-defence. [...] In fact, Japan has been moving steadily toward normality since the 1990s The other main sources of the Japanese threat, according (Tadokoro 2011), and the security changes implemented by to Beijing, are the Japanese disposition to use force and the LDP since Abe’s re-election in 2012 constitute no more the return of militarism.5 Accusations of usage of force than a continuation of this trend. [...] This view is not surprising, given that the main and eagerly reviving the militaristic ideology, the Japanese bone of contention and biggest flashpoint between the two administration has flagrantly broken the restriction of the countries is the Senkaku islands dispute.