Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's tough attitude on the Diaoyu Islands issue and his call for his country's "allies" to encircle China and contain China's "rise in the ocean" demonstrate his lack of confidence and lack of means to deal with China, says an editorial in People's Daily. Excerpts:

Shinzo Abe has no choice but to act tough to win support from right-wing activists at home. Nationalism is the last resort of Japanese politicians. Bashing China seems to them the most effective way to prove their governance abilities. In fact, getting addicted to China-bashing games only carries them further from solving their pressing domestic economic difficulties.

It is predictable that Japanese politicians will take more radical action and make more outrageous statements about China. The point is that the Japanese economy will suffer a heavy blow if Sino-Japanese ties continue to sour.

The rise of China cannot be without the rise of China on the sea. China must take precautions and necessary countermeasures to Japan's aggression. China should place its current scattered administration on issues related to the ocean into one central authority to better protect China's legal rights on the sea.