Is that the smell of souring sushi and stir fry?

It wasn’t a humanitarian crisis, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or political radicalism that recently suspended ministerial level talks between China and Japan; it was a fisherman.

Wandering into a jointly claimed string of islands in the South China Sea, the Chinese fisherman was arrested by the Japanese who directly control the islands. Japan recently released the crew members but kept the captain, putting him on trial for trespassing into Japanese waters. His arrest has sparked an international feud between two of the world’s largest economies.
    
Historically, the relationship between China and Japan has been more dramatic than a hormone-infused teenager. Comparable to the France/Germany, Turkey/Greece, India/Pakistan rivalries, the relationship between China and Japan is historically riddled with violence and conquest.

Perhaps the most traumatic point in the relationship was the occupation of China during World War II. The violent conquests of Japan wreaked havoc on the Chinese ancestral homeland. The Japanese occupation was riddled with rape, destruction and slaughter, the degree of which is contested today. Nonetheless, the Rape of Nanking doesn’t sit well with modern Chinese, who view Japan as the unforgiving bully of the East.

Talk to students from China, and they will likely describe to you a subtle animosity toward Japan. Many believe Japan has tried to hide the past and deny its role in the murder of millions of Chinese, citing the existence of war shrines in Kyoto and inaccuracies in Japanese text books as proof.

Very dramatic, but a true emotion felt by millions of Chinese. Even now, Chinese protest outside of the Japanese embassy in Beijing. The protests are echoed throughout China. Even in Taiwan, not nearly China’s closest ally, nationals took to the streets to protest Japan. There won’t be any protests in Kyoto tonight, though. Clearly the animosity between the two is strong.
    
The fisherman is simply the spark that lit the fuse. Previously, Japan and China have cooperated on an economic basis with joint projects, trade relations and regional and provincial ties. Many Japanese now own factories in China, and Chinese money continues to buy Japanese bonds. It seems the peace in Asia is founded in its booming economics and hopefully will remain grounded there.

But underneath this symbiotic relationship, historic hatred remains. Now with a cause, government officials in China have taken this animosity to action. As the situation continues, Beijing continues to up the ante; just yesterday provincial ties were cut, and China warned of “strong counter measures...”.
    
There won’t be peace in the world until these nations resolve the animosity that exists between their citizens, and global security and peace will continue to be threatened. Sure, this fisherman may soon be released and sent back to his homeland, but it is only a matter of time before another spark ignites this age-old rivalry.

Maybe next time the citizens of these nations will put aside the benefits of economic stability in order to receive justice. We must be cautious and encourage open dialogue between these nations. Both nations must resolve existing tensions so the future economic giants of the world will spend their resources cooperatively instead of destructively.


E-mail: mdshowal@indiana.edu