On September 8th Japan arrested a Chinese fishing boat captain. They say the captain rammed into Japanese Coast Guard boats chasing him away from a group of disputed islands in the east china sea. The captain remains in detention and China blames Japan for seriously damaging relations between the two countries. 

Steve Clemons directs the American Strategy Program at the New American Foundation and the Japan Policy Research Institute. He also keeps the blog The Washington Note. From Beijing, Clemens tells us about the core identity issues that have exacerbated the implications of the maritime squabble…