The joint exercises between the US and Japan last month reflect subtle changes in the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. Japan is trying to counterbalance China's comprehensive rise in a variety of ways.

Japan is lifting the self-imposed ban on strengthening its military power and looking to fill the vacuum caused by US strategic adjustment. It is providing military assistance to parties in the South China Sea disputes involving China in the name of technical assistance. It has also strengthened its relationship with the US.

This joint exercise also reflects that lonely as Japan's position is in this region, international resources available to Japan are very limited. And Japan is actually rather isolated in this region.

The close relationship between the US and Japan itself is a double-edged sword.

The US and Japan's recent moves, including the joint military drills, are not conducive to political harmony and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Instead, these moves could lead to confrontation between regional groups. US allies are being urged to choose sides, which puts them in an uncomfortable position. 

The US is partial to Japan. This is not only bad for improving Japan's relationship with China, South Korea or Russia, but also complicates the US relationship with these countries. An inevitable result will be the limitation of US strategic room for maneuver.

Relying on the US can help Japanese strategists temporarily. However, in the long term, this may produce bad consequences.

Relying on the US means obeying the US. This will leave Japan increasingly isolated in Asia. Relying on the US is contrary to the target of Japan's political autonomy and diplomatic independence, which Japanese strategists have pursued for years.

The only way out is to tackle the Diaoyu Islands dispute peacefully through face-to-face negotiations in the long term. What Japan should do is to return to its former position before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea went into effect in 1982.

Japan didn't deny the existence of the Diaoyu Islands dispute during its negotiations with China in 1972 nor during the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1978.

Hereafter, there will be a long transition period before the Diaoyu Islands dispute can be resolved properly. During this period, how to guarantee close cooperation and how to effectively control these problems are important tasks for both China and Japan.

The author is a professor at the University of International Relations. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn