Though quick to get a reaction from experts and lawmakers Tuesday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's intention to purchase the Senkaku Islands will likely have little impact on the territorial dispute between Japan, China and Taiwan.
"Technically speaking, this will only transfer the ownership of the Senkaku Islands from one Japanese to another," former diplomat Kunihiko Miyake, a research director at Canon Institute for Global Studies, said. Even if the purchase goes ahead as planned, it won't change the fact that Japan controls the land, he added.
But Miyake admitted he's puzzled by the scheme.