[mrnoodle]

One reason this is coming up now is probably something to do with China's sabre-rattling over Taiwan. China has long felt that Taiwan was its possession, despite the fact that it was given over to Japan in perpetuity as the result of some treaty or other (too busy to google it at the moment). Taiwan wants to be independent, China is more than willing to blow it up to keep that from happening, particularly since the US is tied up in the middle east right now. Not sure if Japan has verbalized any preference in the matter, as Taiwan has been operating fairly autonomously since it changed its name from Formosa (is that right?). However, I wouldn't think that they would support any Chinese land grab.

I don't know how I feel about it. A great number of Taiwanese consider themselves to be Chinese first, Taiwanese second. From what I hear, anyway. In any case, I expect the ChiCom government is escalating the rhetoric in preparation for even more bullying of Taiwan. Because we are strong allies with Japan, they get the double benefit of pissing off old enemies and flipping off the yanks while we are otherwise engaged.

The few Chinese people I have heard from about this consider Taiwan to be Chinese, but have a deep loathing for communism. At the same time, they don't care to have the US get involved - they see it as an internal affair.