Analysts Friday slammed Japan's plan to nationalize the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea as provocations which would further trash Sino-Japanese relations, and called on the Chinese government to take corresponding measures to counter Japan's scheme.
Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun paper reported that Japan is scheduled to hold a cabinet meeting on Monday to officially "nationalize" the Diaoyu Islands on Tuesday.
The Japanese government will sign a deal with the so-called private owners on Tuesday to purchase the islands. And the Japanese government believes that putting the Diaoyu Islands under state ownership at an early date could minimize the backlash from China, said the report.
The paper also noted that the actions of Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who had pushed strongly for the island purchase, had helped drive the state toward the purchase.
Qu Xing, director of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that by buying the islands, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's administration is attempting to reinforce Japan's claim of sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands.
"The repeated provocations have greatly undermined Sino-Japanese relations," said the expert.
