Regarding the Feb. 7 Kyodo/AP article "U.S. warns China over 'risky' activity near Senkakus": Some eminent Japanese scholars argue that China seeks to establish domination of the Pacific and won't stop expanding its military capability unless Japan restrains it. But do the Chinese people in general, including some 10 million workers at Japanese firms who would surely lose their jobs if those firms left the Chinese market, wish to dominate Japan?
To have overwhelming hegemony in the Pacific may be the wish and final strategy of the China's army/navy, but it's not that of current Chinese leaders, whose main aim is to develop China's economy and to achieve better lives for their people. They surely prefer not to open fire against Japan.
If the Japanese government continues to promote the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's diplomatic policy line of trying to force change in Chinese attitudes, they will remove themselves from a position of being able to influence Chinese expansion plans.
An aggressive Chinese stance toward the Senkaku Islands suggests that Japan should prepare for their possible invasion. At the same time, it is imperative that Japan promote friendly relations with China such as by extending Japanese university scholarship invitations to more Chinese students, scientists, artists, etc., so that they can learn of today's real Japan, where peace has been kept for the past half-century.
Those who come to Japan in this way will soon find out how we have put our war-renouncing Article 9 of Japan's Constitution into practice as well as abandoned the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.