Are China and Japan Destined for War?

A Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires ammunition during a live fire exercise at the Japanese military training grounds in the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan, on May 22, 2021. The annual live-fire drill took place shortly after China's ambassador to Japan criticized the Quad grouping, a security dialogue comprising of the United States, Japan, India and Australia. Akio Kon/Getty Images

Commentary

As I write this, relations between China and Japan are at their lowest point in 50 years. Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, recently accused China of aggressively infringing on Japan’s sovereignty and escalating tensions in the region. Now, as the two neighbors vie for influence in East Asia and beyond, some commentators fear that war between China and Japan is a distinct possibility.