China and Japan normalized diplomatic relations in 1972. The two later started negotiations for the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which came into effect in 1978.

During the process, leaders from both countries reached a consensus on the Diaoyu Islands issue and agreed to put aside the issue and wait for the solution in the future.

This cleared away the obstacles for the two to realize diplomatic normalization, and opened doors for peaceful development and cooperation in East Asia.

In the China-Japan Joint Communiqué of 1972, the Japanese government explicitly promised that it would adhere to article eight of the Potsdam Proclamation that "the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out." The Cairo Declaration states that Japan must return the territories that it had stolen from China.

During the past times, some witnesses to the normalization between the two countries, a number of scholars and experts, Japanese politicians such as former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama and former ambassador to China Miyamoto Yuji, and former US senior politicians like Henry Kissinger, have pointed out that China and Japan used to share a consensus on the Diaoyu Islands issue.

History cannot be denied and truth cannot be erased. Japan directed a farce by "purchasing" the Diaoyu Islands, hoping to abolish the consensus the two reached. There have been voices criticizing Japan's shameful behavior both within and outside the country.

Facing more and more hard truth, the chicanery of the Japanese government seems really weak. It is silly that the Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba recently went to Europe to drum up support there. It's not surprising that he only encountered a cold welcome and embarrassment there.

In the past 40 years since the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations, Japan has been creating provocations over the Diaoyu Islands issue, and the Chinese government has warned Japan not to play with fire. To maintain the friendly cooperation between the two countries, China has been abiding by the consensus they have reached.

By contrast, Japan has behaved unilaterally and deviated from the consensus. Since this year, Japan has been creating a farce over the Diaoyu Islands issue. It "named" the islands, "landed" on the islands, "inspected" the islands and even mourned soldiers who died in World War II. In September, it announced that it has "nationalized" the islands. No one could bear such acts as these.

Under such circumstances, the Chinese government responded to public opinion by carrying out a series of measures to maintain the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands and fighting back against Japan's provocations.

Japan's illegal purchase has ruined the consensus. The Diaoyu Islands issue will never become what it used to be in the past. Japan should face reality, correct itself, and reach a new consensus with China. Only by doing so can the Sino-Japanese relations go back to normal.

There's no way that Japan can escape the situation. China has a firm determination to maintain the sovereignty of national territory.

The author is a commentator with the People's Daily. The article is the fifth in a series on the Diaoyu Islands originally published in the People's Daily. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn