What can be done immediately to defuse tensions between China and Japan?

Impeach Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara — and indict him for overstepping his mandate by engaging in provocative acts intended to incite racial tension and international strife.

Such a move would resolutely show Japan's desire for peace and positive global relations.

Either let Ishihara go to the islands or make him bow down and apologize.

The people who are running these countries need to talk.

And listen.

And gain some understanding and formulate plans.

That's what they are supposed to do, isn't it?

Why can't Japan and China jointly develop these islands?

The Senkaku Islands problem will always be there. Doubt if either side will give in to the other. As for the present downturn in relations between China and Japan ... guess tensions will ease off after a period of time. Untill then there will be a lot of barking and perhaps some pushing & shoving ... and just hope things don't explode out of control.

Overall, doubt if China wants to go to war because of what it would do to its reputation as the newly gained No. 2 economic power in the world. And doubt if Japan wants to fight at this time for many reasons, including its inability to build a more powerful military than it now has on the spur of the moment.

Japan should tell China that if they don't stop all this stupidity, they'll ask all the Japanese companies and corporations who own factories in China to close and more their business to Vietnam or somewhere, and give them government funding to help with the move asap.

Wait, I thought those companies were there for the benefit of those companies.

Ishihara is a huge problem, but he's not the one who caused the problem. It was Noda's government that failed to put him in his place and shut him up. Worse than that, they went forward with his plan. This is known as the tail wagging the dog.

Before they took office, the DPJ looked like they might be good for the country. They've done nothing but prove how inept they are.

Japan could make a clear statement of Japan's wrongness in invading her neighbors during Japan's expansionist period (not apologize, but admit the history) and recognize that the annexation of these islands was part of that, and give them back to China.

Or literally destroy those islands. Bomb them to several meters below the low water mark. And make an agreement with China that neither side will ever try to build them up or lay claim to them ever again.

Not much. Change of regime in China and elections soon in Japan mean that neither government has any interest in facing down the lunatic fringe. Plus childishness seems to be a feature of foreign policy in most East Asian countries (except maybe Vietnam who have forgiven, if not forgotten).

One of the worst things the Japanese government could do at this point in terms of turning this into a potential military conflict (an putting US soldier's lives on the line) would be to allow Japanese activists onto the islands. The government needs to avoid this from happening at all costs — at least until the situation has markedly calmed.

Doh... Too late. Apparently they just let two such extremists land. Once again the people at the top are making all the wrong moves. <www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/2-japanese-activists-land-on-disputed-island>

The politicians don't seem to be showing much concern for the thousands of Japanese citizens who could end up stranded in China.

How about this? They set up a platform about 100 meters offshore from the islands. Each country gets to choose their best swimmer. Chinese chooses its best swimmer, Japan chooses its best swimmer and Taiwan chooses its own. Someone fires a starting gun, and the first one to reach the island wins.

Demilitarize the whole Asian continent, conflicts to be resolved only through negotiations and deals.

Japan should build a base there for JCG and JMSDF. While China will immediately act like raving lunatics like usual, the government will soon realize that the "card" cannot be played anymore since this will essentially result in the embarassment to the Communist Party in which the citizens most likely start to target their frustration to them.

Back to Yasukuni and history as the "cards" or create a new one like they always have.

Japan should tell China that if they don't stop all this stupidity, they'll ask all the Japanese companies and corporations who own factories in China to close and more their business to Vietnam or somewhere, and give them government funding to help with the move asap.

and joint venture in AV, make love, not war.

cultural exchange immediately................ send AKB48 to China and Korea as a genuine goodwill gesture. Organise local Chinese and Korean AKB sister groups.

Unfriend China on facebook and stop reading their idiotic comments.

... seriously, China is just saber-rattling. Ignore them until they actually open fire, and if they do then let the U.S. bomb them back to the stone age.