The decision of 150 Japanese right-wingers to land on the Diaoyu Islands and pay their respects to the Japanese military personnel who died in World War II casts a whole new light on what previously had been just a territorial dispute. For all we know, Japan could be on way to reviving its militarist past that caused China and much of the rest of the world so much anguish and pain.

Since Japan is demonstrating that it can no longer live in peace and harmony with its neighbors like China, Russia and South Korea, it's time we took a look at the Prussian solution.

Historically, Prussia had always relied on military strength as a source of power because it had the best trained and most advanced military in Europe from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 till the end of World War II. The leading generals and military tacticians in Hitler's Germany were Prussians.

After the end of World War II, the Western Allies decided that there would be no peace in Europe as long as a Germany of jingoists existed so Prussia was dissolved.

We are now reaching the stage where there must be increasing realization that peace and prosperity in East Asia is impossible with a militarized and territorially ambitious Japan.

Will the United States need another incident like Pearl Harbor before it realizes that a militarized Japan will become a threat to not just its neighbors, but also the rest of the world?

Ross Grainger, via e-mail

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(China Daily 08/27/2012 page9)