Japanese Prime Minister "inspects" two small islands near the disputed archipelago with China and addresses the crowd: "we will protect the land, life and property of our people." Beijing protests, but analysts argue that it is an "electoral move before the renewal of the Upper House."

Tokyo (AsiaNews) - Another provocation that is likely to rekindle the military tensions between China and Japan, for years engaged in a dispute over the sovereignty of an contended archipelago that the Japanese call "Senkaku" and the Chinese "Diaoyu". Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in fact travelled to Ishigaki, an island very close to the area claimed by Beijing, from where he spoke to the local Coast Guard claiming to be "ready for anything" to defend "the land, life and property of our people".

Japan, Abe said, " faces a grim security environment because Chinese vessels are frequently sailing to areas close to our waters, and there are consistent provocations targeted at us. " The premier's visit to the area is the first by a Japanese leader since 1972, when Okinawa - the prefecture closest to the islands - was returned to the Land of the Rising Sun.

In September 2011, the acquisition by Tokyo of 3 of the 5 privately owned islands unleashed the fury in Beijing, which in turn launched a campaign for political and military assert its sovereignty over the area. Taiwan also has stakes in the quarrel, which offered both parties the option of "exploiting together local resources, without engaging in the question of ownership."

The exact value of the archipelago is unclear. It is thought that first of all it has a strategic value, being in the path of the most important shipping routes; others argue that in addition to the rich fishing waters, there are exterminated gas fields in the subsoil. In 2008, as a gesture of détente, the two governments signed an agreement for the joint exploitation and research in the archipelago, which, however, was never put into practice.

Abe's rally has not been without reaction from the Chinese. Hua Chunying, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, said: "We will continue to take all necessary measures to protect our sovereignty over the Diaoyu. We urge Japan to respect history and to stop these provocations that seek to cripple Chinese territorial sovereignty ".

According to some analysts, however, Abe's move is mainly domestic. On 21 July, Japan in fact votes for the renewal of the Upper House: If the Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister wins the electoral contest, it will unblock the imbalance between the Houses that has existed in the country for 6 years. And the nationalist card is currently the best to stir up some undecided voters.

 

• japan
• china
• shinzo
• abe
• elections
• disputed
• islands
• territorial
• sovreignty