Japan sets alarm bells ringing

Sino-Japanese relations have perhaps hit the lowest point this year, coinciding with the 75th Anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre that falls on Dec 13, and may remain frozen for some time to come. This is the last thing people committed to promoting Sino-Japanese friendship wanted to see on the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.

Japan "nationalized" China's Diaoyu Islands ignoring Beijing's repeated warnings and thus caused serious damage to strategic mutual trust, economic and trade cooperation and national sentiments, leading to the present situation.

The ongoing campaign for Japan's 46th general election is in full swing, with a record 11 political parties and 1,504 candidates in the fray. Though no single party is expected to win a majority in Japan's lower house of parliament and in all probability a coalition government will be formed after the election, one thing is for sure, Japan has shifted to the right. And given the rise of Japanese rightwing forces, the friction between Beijing and Tokyo will continue in the near future.