Maritime disputes constitute the single likeliest source of instability and military conflict with China, says Swaine. He explains the primary drivers of tension in the East and South China Seas and identifies steps Washington can take to reduce the risk of hostilities.

Fire-control radar row is Tokyo's attempt to get more overt outside support and push for constitutional change.

As China’s new leadership appears to be be making efforts to dial down tensions with Japan over the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, could a war between China and Japan be inadvertently sparked by a maritime accident?

Despite high tensions and risks between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, finding the way out may lead to constructing a new U.S.-China-Japan geopolitical order with better prospects for maintaining regional peace and security.

While tensions on the Korean Peninsula have gained widespread attention, Ted Galen Carpenter posits that the greater threat to stability comes from territorial disputes between Japan, China and Taiwan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.

After World War II, its relations with the United States have been at the core of Japan’s foreign and security policies. However, there have been two different opinions within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on the relationship.

Mirroring foreign relations following World War II, it appears Japan is once again beholden to the US to preserve regional security. The US must toe a careful line between advancing Japanese interests and containing China.

Although Japanese PM Abe has been in office for less than two months, he has vowed to strengthen the US-Japan alliance to respond to the “threats” of China and North Korea. However,he has never explained exactly how he intends to strengthen the US-Japan alliance or what it means today.

Washington is deeply entangled in the dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. But the most basic question has hardly been examined: Would America really fight a war with China over the islands?

China will never waver in its stand on the Diaoyu Islands issue, and the United States should persuade Japan to give up its policy of denying territorial disputes with China and settle through negotiation, writes Wu Jinan.