"Japan’s detention of a Chinese trawler crew in the waters of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands on Sept. 7 was not a mishap. It has sparked a grave rift between Beijing and Tokyo that could exceed the frictions caused by the Yasukuni Shrine visits during the administration of Junichiro Koizumi from 2001 to 2005. With tensions still lingering over the incident, it is too early to say to what extent ties will deteriorate. But the event has ominously deepened truculence on both sides over ongoing territorial disputes, and could well foretell a protracted impasse in China-Japan relations ..." (Quoted from article)