Tokyo’s illegal survey and plans to purchase the Diaoyu Islands have been seen as provocations that violate Chinese sovereignty. What do the Japanese government and Tokyo’s governor want to achieve through these actions?

Analysts say the proposals by Tokyo Metropolis and the Japanese government to buy the Diaoyu Islands are part of a struggle for personal political gain. Japanese rightists want to corner the government, blaming it for not being tough enough in the dispute.

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan is unstable, with the party split over a recent controversial sales tax hike. The government’s "islands-purchase" plan appears to be an effort to divert public opinion. It also suggests the government does not want the rightists to steal the show at a time of domestic and international political pressures.

Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara was the first to state his intention to buy the islands. He then made numerous moves towards such a purchase, including donations and applications to carry out surveys. Japan’s Asahi Shimubun newspaper says Ishihara is making a clumsy political show, and he wants to use the publicity to create a new party in the next general election.

Some analysts believe the moves are intended to mislead the public. They said Ishihara’s "island purchase" plan aims to force the Japanese government to act, since it may seem a better buyer of the Diaoyu Islands than the rightists.

China has long rejected any involvement in the Diaoyu Island by the Japanese government or any other parties. It says any attempt to buy or sell the islands is illegal, and no action by Japan can change the fact that Diaoyu Islands are an integral part of China’s territory.

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