Japan - follow the money

Many Japanese are mulling over the recent popular outbursts in China and Korea to decide on what approach to take. Is it more than a historic issue ?, is their close alliance with the US the real problem ? Editorials and opinion pieces in the media have floated a variety of explanations, but there is a strand which pins much of the blame on a foreign policy too closely linked to the US. Nearly half of Japan's trade is with China now, only a fifth or so with the US, so maybe it's time to turn a blind eye to issues like Taiwan while ruling out any sort of military role more from the Asahi Shimbun...