Japan should blame Ishihara for loss in China

The Japanese government said after a cabinet meeting on Nov. 13 that China should pay 10 billion yen, or about 780 million yuan, in compensation for the damage Japanese companies incurred during anti-Japanese protests over the past few months.

The Japanese government stressed that China carries inescapable responsibility for the damage suffered by Japanese companies during the protests, and said that it will urge China to pay compensation as soon as possible.

According to the Japanese government, Japanese companies suffered significant damage in China due to the Chinese people's anti-Japanese protests. However, it should be noted that the wave of anti-Japanese protests sweeping across China was in fact caused by the Japanese government's breaking of the consensus reached by former Chinese and Japanese leaders on the Diaoyu Islands dispute as well as its illegal "nationalization" of the islands.

It is clear that former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara's "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands set off a chain reaction, and eventually caused damage to a few Japanese companies in China. Therefore, the Japanese government and companies that have suffered damage during the protests should ask Ishihara for compensation.

Ishihara has staged the farces of "purchasing" and "landing on" the Diaoyu Islands in cooperation with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda since April, so Noda is also to blame for the loss Japanese companies have suffered.

By claiming compensation from China, the Japanese government is shirking its responsibility for affected Japanese companies and the country's economic woes.

After the occurrence of anti-Japanese protests, the Chinese government and media have repeatedly called on the protesters to express their patriotism in a rational manner, and related Chinese government agencies have helped affected Japanese companies in China resume production quickly.

At the same time, certain Japanese right-wingers had thrown smoke tubes into Chinese embassies and consulates in Japan, and damaged Chinese-run restaurants and schools in the country to various degrees. By Japan's logic, should the Chinese government also ask Japan for compensation?