China and Japan at Odds Over Oil

It seems a little brouhaha is building in the East China Sea between China and Japan.

Japan OKs Teikoku Oil's Drilling Request

Japan on Thursday approved a request by Teikoku Oil Co. to drill for natural gas in the East China Sea along a disputed sea border with China, prompting Beijing to warn about the possibility of worsening ties.

Tokyo and Beijing have been feuding over claims to the undersea gas deposits, amid a broader diplomatic row that has soured bilateral relations in recent months. The gas dispute stems from a disagreement over how much sea resources the two sides can claim in the East China Sea, which divides China's eastern coast and Japan's southern island chain of Okinawa.

China has already built a drilling platform west of the line that Japan regards as the two sides' sea boundary. But Tokyo has demanded that Beijing stop exploration over worries that reserves on the Japanese side might be sucked dry.

Asked whether that meant Tokyo would consider dispatching Japan's navy to protect Teikoku Oil workers, Nakagawa simply said: "We have various options."

The Chinese reaction is typically bellicose. According to the China Daily, which is the media mouthpiece for the Chinese Government, Beijing is willing to go to war over oil.

Japan's dangerous move in E.China Sea

Japan's move could lead to confrontation with China.

Giving Teikoku the go-ahead to test drill is a move which makes conflict between the two nations inevitable, though what form this clash will take is hard to tell.

Japan's unilateral action to start drilling, which flies in the face of international maritime laws, is not simply about new sources of energy. It reveals plainly the country's intention to take our Diaoyu islets for good.

It reveals plainly the country's intention to take our Diaoyu islets for good.

If a confrontation were to result, the blame would sit firmly with Japan.

With China’s exponentially increasing need for oil, how long before they make good on one of these threats?

There are two issues which our government refuses to address. One is our out of control immigration problems. The other is the growing Chinese threat to this country and the rest of the world. Republicans and Democrats alike allow this threat to fester without so much as a protest. The similarities to 1935 Japan are troubling.

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