A few days ago I posted an essay at The Diplomat to report some of the things I learned about the Senkaku Islands during my recent trip to Japan. One part of that essay explained that the Yaeyama Islands are a likely source of future tension between China and Japan and that Japan is planning to expand its military presence on Ishigaki and Yonaguni. An online Taiwanese newspaper–the Want China Times–interpreted that comment to mean that I think Japan will be at fault for future tension over the Yaeyamas. But this was neither my intent, nor what I wrote; in fact, I personally see China as the party at fault for much of the tension in the East China Sea. Why? Because I think that Japan has good title to the Senkaku Islands and that China repeatedly violates Japanese sovereignty by sending ships into the Japanese waters surrounding the Islands. Insofar as Japan is expanding its military presence to defend itself from Chinese incursions, that’s China’s fault, not Japan’s; Japan wouldn’t need to expand its defenses if it weren’t for China. The Want China Times would’ve known this if it had bothered to interview me. Takeaway: don’t read the Want China Times. It’s an unreliable source.