One of the less commented upon elements of the present flare-up between Japan and China over the Senkaku Islands is the public criticism of Prime Minister Noda's stance on the dispute by the head of Keidanren, Japan's most influential corporate association.
Hiromasa Yonekura made his critical comments of Japan's long-standing policy on the dispute while in Beijing meeting senior Chinese officials. Keidanren, under a different head, also publicly criticised the Koizumi Administration's approach to relations with the People's Republic of China in 2006 and asserted that Koizumi's replacement should take a more conciliatory approach.
These public criticisms show a growing willingness by Japan Inc to join the public discussion of Japan-China strategic relations in a way that suits Beijing as well as their own bottom lines. Recent comments by James Packer and Kerry Stokes show that a similar trend is developing in Australia.
It looks like the challenge of managing growing economic ties and strategic concerns with the People's Republic of China is changing the nature of Japanese and Australian strategic debates and showing a growing divide between the respective corporate sectors and the mainstream security communities.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.