Amid the acrimonious Senkakus rift, calls in China for moderation are being drowned out by the invective Japanese and Chinese hardliners are trading.
Human rights activist Han Guang, one of the few Chinese moderates on the Senkaku Islands issue, said the dispute is the last thing he hoped to see when China is on the verge of a once-in-a-decade leadership change.
"The more the territorial row escalates, the more hard-line China becomes, strengthening dictatorial elements in the Chinese government," he said.