Senkaku Dispute Reinforces Military Shifts -- Washington Post
TOKYO — Tuesday’s confrontation between Japanese and Taiwanese coast guard vessels hardly ranks among the great naval battles — the only weapons deployed were water cannon, and the Taiwanese beat a dignified retreat after a few hours.
But the televised maritime contest certainly highlighted the rising passions surrounding the Senkaku islands, a tiny Japanese-controlled archipelago that is also claimed by Taiwan and, more dangerously, by its giant neighbor, China.
Worrying cracks have appeared along a diplomatic fault line that lay mostly quiet for decades, sparking heated talk among international commentators of a possible Sino-Japanese war.
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Update: Japan v. China: Smoke or Fire? -- Conn Hallinan, FPIF
My Comment: At the moment both parties are arguing over what is essentially a few square kilometers of rock. But if significant oil and gas deposits are found in the contested territories .... expect tensions and "military shifts" to escalate.
Update #2: Japan says no compromise in islands row -- The Australian