The escalation of the dispute over the Senkaku islands began in February of 2012 when then Tokyo Governor Shintaro Isihara announced that the Tokyo Metropolitan government would seek donations for a private fund they set-up to purchase the Senkaku islands from their private owner. Until that moment the diplomatic row had remained a minor blip.
Shintaro Ishihara isn't just some minor player in Japanese politics as he has served in the Diet and been a member of several cabinets. So, why did the Chinese government have such an adverse reaction? Shintaro Ishihara is an ultra nationalist, a racist and denier of Japanese war crimes committed during World War II.
Fearing his involvement would cause a breach in relations between the two countries the Japanese government stepped in and began negotiations with the owner of the Senkaku's finally reaching an agreement of purchase followed by the islands being nationalized
As the dispute escalated through the summer of 2012 two groups one Japanese and one Chinese made attempts to land on the disputed islands. In September of last year China erupted in anti Japanese protests which caused business's to close as any company seen in association with Japanese business interests were attacked.
Since then the Chinese navel vessels have made numerous incursions into Japanese waters which has led both sides to develop unmanned drone capabilities.
Tensions over the islands – called the Diaoyu by China and the Senkaku by Japan – have ratcheted up in past weeks. Chinese surveillance planes flew near the islands four times in the second half of December, according to Chinese state media, but were chased away each time by Japanese F-15 fighter jets. Neither side has shown any signs of backing down.
China announced late last month that the People's Liberation Army was preparing to test-fly a domestically developed drone, which analysts say is likely a clone of the US's carrier-based X-47B. "Key attack technologies will be tested," reported the state-owned China Daily, without disclosing further details.
Shintaro Ishihara isn't just some minor player in Japanese politics as he has served in the Diet and been a member of several cabinets. So, why did the Chinese government have such an adverse reaction? Shintaro Ishihara is an ultra nationalist, a racist and denier of Japanese war crimes committed during World War II.
Fearing his involvement would cause a breach in relations between the two countries the Japanese government stepped in and began negotiations with the owner of the Senkaku's finally reaching an agreement of purchase followed by the islands being nationalized
As the dispute escalated through the summer of 2012 two groups one Japanese and one Chinese made attempts to land on the disputed islands. In September of last year China erupted in anti Japanese protests which caused business's to close as any company seen in association with Japanese business interests were attacked.
Since then the Chinese navel vessels have made numerous incursions into Japanese waters which has led both sides to develop unmanned drone capabilities.
Drones have taken centre stage in an escalating arms race betweenChina and Japan as they struggle to assert their dominance over disputed islands in the East China Sea.
China is rapidly expanding its nascent drone programme, while Japan has begun preparations to purchase an advanced model from the US. Both sides claim the drones will be used for surveillance, but experts warn the possibility of future drone skirmishes in the region's airspace is "very high".
Tensions over the islands – called the Diaoyu by China and the Senkaku by Japan – have ratcheted up in past weeks. Chinese surveillance planes flew near the islands four times in the second half of December, according to Chinese state media, but were chased away each time by Japanese F-15 fighter jets. Neither side has shown any signs of backing down.
China announced late last month that the People's Liberation Army was preparing to test-fly a domestically developed drone, which analysts say is likely a clone of the US's carrier-based X-47B. "Key attack technologies will be tested," reported the state-owned China Daily, without disclosing further details.
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