Observers in both East Asia and the United States have become increasingly worried about the growing tensions between China and Japan. However, the tendency to place all of the blame on Beijing may be mis-guided.

When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine last month, Chinese leaders, predictably, condemned his decision to honor those behind “the war of aggression against China.” But Abe was also sending a message to Japan’s main ally and defender, the US.

Shinzo Abe continues to disown the country's dark past by visiting the Yasukuni Shrine and doctoring textbooks, writes James Hsiung.

The tense atmosphere in the Asia-Pacific has only intensified with China’s announcement of new fishing rules and an ADIZ in disputed waters. However, as Stephen Harner points out, China’s actions were necessary given regional security threats and unproductive military-to-military dialogue with the US.

The escalation of tensions between China and Japan in 2013 has put a strain on the bilateral relationship and puts the Asia-Pacific region at risk for conflict. As Jin Ying points out, there are three steps the US should take to ensure stability and peaceful development.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent visit to the Yasukuni Shrine produced a rare expression of displeasure from the US government, but the majority of US people have expressed little interest in this event, writes John Eddington.

Mr. Abe’s homage to Japan’s war dead, in the court of world public opinion, smacks of denial of his nation’s wartime aggression — and has been widely condemned. This impression only strengthens China’s hand in current disputes with Japan — and therefore also in its strategic competition with the United States, writes Sung-Yoon Lee.

China’s announcement of its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) surprised the world. And the strong response from the international community surprised China.

The already tense atmosphere in the East China Sea ratcheted up a notch when China declared a new air defense identification zone, writes Margaret Lewis, and the political realities of this increasingly tough neighborhood are frightening.

As the escalating standoff in the East China Sea continues, Tom Watkins urges calm in Beijing, Tokyo, and throughout Asia.