In a move that has considerable importance in Asia but which was scarcely noticed in the western media, Japan has ceded sovereignty over a disputed island chain (believed to have substantial energy reserves) to Taiwan even though the two nations had “hotly contested” sovereignty over these islands for years. Details about this development are in the second story in this link, and it is called a “dramatic about-face” by Japan. What is especially important about this action is that in ceding sovereignty over these islands to Taiwan, Japan recognized Taiwan as a sovereign nation in its own right and not just a rebellious part of China. The concession on fishing rights was also given by Japan to Taiwan even though just a short time ago Japanese coast guard vessels were chasing Taiwanese fishing boats away from those islands. These actions by Japan really are rather dramatic.
Japan’s action in dealing with Taiwan as a sovereign nation was a direct slap in the face to China and Japan surely knew this when it took this action. This will deepen the Chinese-Japanese rift. However, it will surely earn Japan considerable goodwill and trust not only in Taiwan but also in the other nations (the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, etc.) in the Pacific Rim that are threatened by China’s rapid militarism. Perhaps Japan’s action was specifically intended to win this goodwill, further erase lingering memories of World War II in that region of Asia, and establish Japan as the leader of the anti-Chinese nations in the Pacific Rim.
This action further supports my long-expressed identification of these Pacific Rim nations as the alliance prophesied in Ezekiel 38:13 to emerge in Asia which will not be part of the Gog-Magog alliance of Russia, China, Iran, etc.. See my articles, What Ezekiel 38-39 reveals about a Future World War III [PDF] and Japan’s Role in Biblical Prophecy for these previously-expressed expectations. The deeper we go into the latter-days of our age, the more accurate biblical prophecies are becoming—making it abundantly evident that the Bible really is the Word of the Creator Being who made the earth and mankind and who guides the destinies of nations to fulfill his biblical prophesies (Isaiah 41:21-26).
