The right-wing tendency of the Japanese administration, rather than the Diaoyutai issue, is the major sticking point for China in its relations with Japan, according to Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese.
From 2012 onward the prospect of a Sino-Japanese conflict in the East China Sea has been batted around by media outlets from both countries, turning the issue into a piece of diplomatic theater. However, many analysts have suggested that tensions have eased, which means that many of the dramatic claims made by media outlets covering the dispute have fallen on deaf ears, particularly news about the Japanese defense budget in 2015 trumping that of previous years.
In previous years the US$44.3 billion that Tokyo has granted for defense spending might have incurred Beijing's wrath, but this may not be the case in 2015. As more and more Chinese warships and aircraft patrol the South China Sea, the East China Sea and Diaoyutai have become less of an immediate priority for China. This means that news stories from Tokyo about the Japanese defense budget and heightened defenses on the Ryukyu Islands are getting less and less traction in Beijing.
The investment in defense does not even surpass 1% of the GDP and only covers the basics. Many media outlets, including Tokyo Shimbun, have reported that the adjustment in the budget is to allow for the purchase of Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft, amphibious tanks and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighters. The popularity of these vehicles among Chinese military enthusiasts succeeded in inciting a reaction, if a slightly subdued one, among Chinese military circles.
Read the full story at Want China Times