The China-Japan Senkaku/Diaoyu Island Dispute: Strategic and Domestic Implications of the Conflict for the United States

Abstract

This research investigates the China–Japan dispute over Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and its strategic importance as well as internal policy consequences for the United States. Following Realism—specifically the offensive/defensive split—this study assesses how the dispute impacts U.S. credibility on extended deterrence and stirs domestic political discourse regarding security policy. With qualitative document analysis as the main method, this research scrutinizes official utterances, treaty documents, think tank reports, and policy papers. It posits that the conflict acts as a litmus test for perceptions of alliance dependability vis-a-vis American Indo-Pacific grand strategy against a backdrop of escalating great power competition. The results highlight the contradiction between America’s claimed deterrent capability and growing regional power assertiveness with their security strategy in focus solar value US posture is actually underway.