With their economies struggling and domestic politics in disarray, the last thing leaders in China and Japan need now is a foreign policy crisis. Sadly, that is what they are getting into. The dispute between Beijing and Tokyo over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands – uninhabited barren rocks in the East China Sea – is entering a more dangerous phase. In Tokyo, rightwing politicians compete to be tough on China. In China, anti-Japanese protests have swept dozens of major cities, causing Japanese businesses and factories to close in fear for their employees’ safety.

If the crisis escalates, clashes between official Chinese and Japanese vessels are likely since the Chinese government, to assert its territorial claims, has sent unarmed maritime surveillance ships to the territorial waters around the islands. Because armed Japanese coast guard boats patrol the same areas, the risks of a stand-off are real and high.

The most unfortunate part of the crisis is that it could have been prevented with skilful diplomacy. The initial trigger was a headline-grabbing scheme by the nationalist governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, to purchase three of the disputed islands from their private owners. Knowing that this would be sure to create a crisis, the Japanese government tried to avert it by using public funds to buy and thus “nationalise” the islands.