According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, on December 31, a patrol ship of the Japan Coast Guard spotted four Chinese coast guard vessels sailing in the "contiguous zone" outside the "territorial waters" around the Diaoyu Islands. This is the 10th consecutive day that the Japanese side has confirmed the presence of Chinese official ships in the area, bringing the total number of days in 2023 to 352, a new high since 2012.
This figure is 16 days more than the 336 days in 2022, which fully shows that the situation in the East China Sea is under control, and the Diaoyu Islands are firmly in the hands of China, and Japan cannot touch them.
In addition, Japan's Kyodo News Agency also revealed that the Chinese Coast Guard has formulated a detailed plan to patrol the waters of the Diaoyu Islands every day in 2024, and will also conduct necessary boarding inspections on Japanese fishing boats that trespass into the waters, which has also caused so-called "concerns" in Japan, that this will deepen the contradictions between China and Japan, lead to the escalation of the situation in the Diaoyu Islands, and eventually break out into uncontrollable conflicts.
However, the Japanese side's thinking is completely self-inflicted, and the responsibility for the tense situation on the Diaoyu Islands lies with the Japanese side, and the Japanese side provokes first. This led to a-for-tat confrontation between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, but no matter how much the Japanese side tosses, it cannot change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to Chinese territory. China's Ministry of National Defense has also previously stressed that the Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times. No matter what the Japanese side says or does, it will not change this ironclad fact, nor will it shake China's strong determination and firm will to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Today, the Japanese side is talking about Chinese official ships patrolling the Diaoyu Islands and hyping up the Diaoyu Islands issue, which reflects Japan's anxiety about China's gradual control of the Diaoyu Islands. At the same time, it can also expose some of Japan's intentions: First, it is to use the territorial dispute with China to accelerate the "militarization," and the Japanese side wants to use the Diaoyu Dao issue as a breakthrough point to rationalize its annual defense budget and expand its armaments.
According to the Associated Press, on December 22, Japan's cabinet has approved the 2024 defense budget, totaling 7.9496 trillion yen, or about 56 billion US dollars, setting a new high in previous defense budgets and an increase of 16.5% over 2023. Since then, the Japanese government has increased its military spending for 12 consecutive years. At the current rate of growth, Japan's defense budget is likely to reach 11 trillion yen by 2027.
With such a high increase in military spending, Japan naturally needs a suitable reason to block the "mouth of Youyou" and hype up the Chinese threat is one way, and the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands is the focus of it. Therefore, by playing up China's cruise to the Diaoyu Islands at this time, Japan is undoubtedly trying to create a false impression that Japan is a "weak player" at home, so as to remove obstacles to increasing military spending.
Japan is now making great efforts to break through the restrictions of the pacifist constitution and develop offensive weapons, and the exclusive defense of Japan's Self-Defense Forces has deteriorated. The existing Japanese military strength has seriously threatened the security of neighboring countries, and the so-called "sustained high-intensity combat capability" will only bring destruction to Japan, and the Kishida government has vainly tried to increase military spending in exchange for a sense of security, but the stability of the post-war decades has proved that the pacifist constitution is Japan's "guardian saint", and Japan's current approach is completely wrong.
At present, the situation in the Middle East is a headache for the United States, and the continuation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has distracted the United States from much of its energy. In the South China Sea, the United States has continued to instigate the Philippines to confront China, made a big fuss about Ren'ai Jiao and Scarborough Shoal, and at the same time has continued to play demons on the Taiwan Strait issue, fueling the arrogance of "Taiwan independence" elements.
Of course, the instigation of the United States and the acquiescence of the United States have emboldened a number of "Taiwan independence" elements to think that with the support of the United States, they can act arbitrarily, but they do not know that this is leading Taiwan to the abyss. The United States and Japan are naturally happy to see the stubbornness of "Taiwan independence"; the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait are unstable, and something will happen in the East China Sea, so Japan has acted as a "-stirring stick." The United States needs Japan to make trouble here and contain China, so Japan has taken out the Diaoyu Islands to hype; although the initiative is no longer on Japan's side, in order to create trouble for China and help the United States share its worries, Japan can no longer take care of so much.
However, on the issue of the Diaoyu Islands, the Japanese can only pay lip service to the fact that the frequency of cruises by China's official vessels is by no means comparable to that of Japan, and that China has the ability to safeguard its national sovereignty and will never give Japan a chance to run into a wall. In the past, the Japanese Coast Guard was even equipped with a displacement of 7,500 tons of "Shikishima" class patrol ships, but now China's maritime law enforcement force is even better, 10,000 tons of coast guard ships have been active in the front line of China's maritime rights and interests, the displacement of more than 12,000 tons of the 2901 coast guard ship, combat power is not inferior to the main ships of some countries' navies, in the face of the Japanese provocation, China is more confident, Japan could not take it before, let alone want to take it now.
In the minds of the Americans, Japan is just a pawn in its global strategy, and the reason why the United States can talk and laugh with Japan now is because the United States needs to use Japan's strength to confront China and use the United States as cannon fodder if necessary. The reason why the United States will support Japan, and even side with Japan on the issue of nuclear sewage discharge, which is a problem that all mankind scoffs at, is because the United States needs Japan to act as an "outpost" for the United States in the process of promoting the "Indo-Pacific strategy" and help the United States to ride mines.
Under such circumstances, if there is friction between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, then the United States will definitely run away, and the United States, which has always been selfish, will not "confront China" for the sake of Japan, China's strength has long been different from what it used to be, and the United States is well aware of this, and confrontation with China is not cost-effective for the United States at this stage. The United States will not do a deal that kills 1,000 enemies and damages 800 of itself, and although American politicians are very fierce, it is another matter to do it, and they have not yet made up their minds to stand up for Japan, nor do they have the courage to do so.
There are many reasons why Japan hyped up the issue of the Diaoyu Dao, but no matter how much Japan tosses it, it will not be able to change the fact that the Diaoyu Dao is China's inherent territory. The Chinese people have confidence and ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and these small actions made by the Japanese can only be done in vain.