Japan should avoid making rash moves amid anxiety

Recently, political and economic instability in Japan as well as the disorderly surrounding environment have aggravated the "anxiety disorder" plaguing the country. Senior Russian and DPRK officials’ high-profile landing on disputed islands with Japan poses a major diplomatic challenge to it. China has also hit back hard at Japan over its farces of buying and landing on the Diaoyu Islands.

The top two questions facing Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s cabinet are how to improve the low approval rate and how to cope with a series of diplomatic challenges. Two China-related events, namely the Diaoyu Islands dispute and Japanese politicians' possible visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, will test Japan's handling of its "anxiety disorder."

In response to Japan's repeated provocations, a group of Chinese activists are ready to assert Chinese sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands through practical actions. Certain Japanese politicians suggest Japan take a tough stance against the Chinese activists’ actions for defending the Diaoyu Islands, and that the Maritime Self-Defense Force should take necessary action to ensure Japan's "de facto control" over the islands.

Will Japan make rash moves due to the "anxiety disorder?" Japan has acted calmly and rationally in response to certain diplomatic problems such as the clash between Chinese and Japanese ships in 2010. The Japanese government recently rejected certain conservative parliamentarians' application to land on the Diaoyu Islands.

Shortly after becoming prime minister, Noda promised that he and his cabinet would not visit the Yasukuni Shrine during his term of office, and recently reaffirmed that his cabinet should not visit the shrine. However, the above words and actions are not enough to dispel our doubts about possible Japanese rash acts, given Japan's previous chopping and changing as well as other reckless actions when handling historical and territorial disputes with China.

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