Japan ‘ underestimated China’ in territorial row
Former envoy claims ex- prime minister Noda aggravated issue with island purchase
Japan’s government underestimated how China would react to its decision to buy islands at the centre of a bitter territorial dispute, said Tokyo’s former envoy to Beijing.
“I don’t know why such a decision was made in a hurried manner and at such a time,” Uichiro Niwa told a news conference, speaking of then-prime minister Yoshihiko Noda’s September announcement that he was buying three of the disputed Senkakus islands.
Noda’s government maintained the purchase was little more than administrative — transferring uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, known as the Diaoyus in China, from a private Japanese citizen to the state.
The administration made no secret of the fact that it was intended to outfox an attempt to buy the islands by the nationalistic then- mayor of Tokyo Shintaro Ishihara, which it judged would be a worse provocation to Beijing.
“The government of Japan transferred ownership from an individual to the state based on its domestic law, but once an issue involves crossing waters, it becomes a diplomatic issue,” Niwa said. “I think [ Japan] should have taken it more seriously.”
The businessman- turned-envoy said China’s president Hu Jintao lost face when Noda announced the nationalisation only days after Hu warned against the move.
“[ Noda] made Hu lose face as head of state,” which led to “raging reactions” from Beijing, Niwa said. “China places a great deal of importance on saving face. The Japanese side appeared to have underestimated it to a certain degree.”
The two countries have ar- gued for decades about the ownership of the archipelago, but the dispute flared anew after Ishihara announced his bid. The nationalisation sparked demonstrations in China and cooled the multi- billion dollar trade relationship.
Beijing has repeatedly sent its ships, and latterly planes, to the area in a bid to assert its control over the chain.
Last week a Japanese emissary met China’s incoming president Xi Jinping and handed him a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The contents were not disclosed.