ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how even with China's rise making a hard-line stance from Tokyo ever more easily justifiable. It is particularly in the East China Sea, heavy United States (US) military forces presence and the potential entrapment in wars. The chapter illustrates how the fortification of the Ryukyu island chain is already underway to contain China and the extent to which it has been successful in the face of resistance from residents and anti-base activists, as well as China's strategies to pass through the maritime 'Great Wall'. It highlights how the perceived threats from China were translated into a high-risk game at state, prefectural and local levels and to what extent the fortification schemes of the Japanese and US governments were successfully resisted under a plurality of market-based and societal pressures. With the Chinese Naval and governmental vessels increasingly strengthening their presence in the nearby areas, the action was clearly intended to beef up Japan's military preparedness.
