Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura of Keidanren (the Japan Business Federation) said in September 2012 that the government should admit the existence of a “territorial dispute” over the Senkaku Islands. In a policy agreement between the Japan Restoration Party and the Sunrise Party for the latest general election, furthermore, they said they would prompt China to take the question of the Senkaku Islands to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, it should be noted that the ICJ is an international tribunal tasked with settling “legal disputes” – but not “political disputes” – between nations. If Japan refers the Senkaku problem to the ICJ, it will mean Japan’s admission of the... [Read more]