OSAKA -- The current tensions between Japan and China have less to do with history textbooks and more to do with a long-term political and economic rivalry, according to some knowledgeable Chinese living in Japan.
The tensions have yet to lead to major personal problems for Chinese living in Japan, but if they are not addressed, some fear that anger toward China could be fueled by a small but vocal group of rightwingers and rightwing media and lead to discrimination or even physical attacks on Chinese residents.
The current tensions are partially attributable to the rise of the right in Japan and the growing conservative mood in this country, argued Liu Cheng, chief managing editor of Chunichi Shinpo, a bilingual (Japanese and Chinese) newspaper with a nationwide circulation of 30,000.