GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Experts are saying that Chinese-Japanese relations are as bad as they’ve been since the end of World War II.  Why all the commotion?  The tension has been heightened in the last few months when China claimed control over the airspace in  the East China Sea. Then the Japanese Prime Minister also gave offering to a shrine to honor World War II soldiers (veterans and heroes to some Japanese, war criminals to most of the international community).  China sees this as proof that Japan is becoming more militaristic and willing to exert more power in East Asia.  However, at the root of this issue is that both Japan and China claim certain islands and that is increasingly becoming a sticking point in foreign relations.  See this book review on “Asia’ Cauldron” for more context on the East China Sea.      

Tags: borders, political, conflict, China, Japan, East Asia.