On September 24th, the Japanese Public Prosecutors Office released the Chinese fishing boat captain who had been in detention for ramming two Japanese patrol boats. Japan caved mostly because of Japanese business pressure. Chinese retaliation included postponing bilateral gas development talks, a halt to public and private exchanges, and the suspension of rare earth exports to Japan. This might be short term wise and long term foolish because it sets the precedent that Japan backed down from rightfully prosecuting a law breaker in Japanese claimed waters. The next incident will be more difficult to handle and the stakes will likely be higher.

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.