The weakness of Japanese diplomacy was exposed last week when Tokyo gave in to Beijing and released a Chinese trawler captain arrested earlier this month near the Senkaku Islands.
But China did not emerge unscathed either, as its pressure on Japan drew strong international criticism as well, analysts said.
Foreign media lashed out at China's aggressive stance on Japan's arrest of Zhan Qixion, whose fishing boat collided with Japan Coast Guard vessels near the disputed island chain. Earlier this week, The Washington Post criticized China's action as "19th century mercantilism."