War watch - may Asia be the scene of War next year - watch china - Japan , North Korea - South Korea and assorted Island disputes as we head into 2013.....

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2012-12/27/content_27531589.htm

S. Korean media: DPRK deploys missiles

0 Comment(s)Print E-mailCNTV, December 27, 2012

 

South Korean media says the DPRK has deployed more than 900 ballistic missiles at 3 separate sites across the country.

KBS news agency reports that the 3 zones are for the use of the launch of short, middle and long-range missiles. DPRK leader Kim Jong-un is said to have paid a visit to the headquarters in charge of missile launches, which is seen as key to the DPRK's missile deployment.

Earlier this month, the DPRK successfully launched a satellite into orbit. The launch was the DPRK's second attempt to launch a long-range rocket this year, and its 5th since 1998. The US and its key Asian allies accuse the launch of being a cover for a ballistic missile test and a violation of UN resolution. The DPRK denies the claims.

http://www.businessinsider.com/china-japan-senkaku-diaoyu-war-2012-12

Professor: Don't Be Surprised If There's A War Between Japan And China In The Next Year

Rob Wile | Dec. 26, 2012, 9:22 AM | 144,157 | 80

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Navy

Chinese planes flew near Japanese airspace Monday to assert its claims to Japan's Senkaku islands (China calls them the Diaoyu islands).

The move came just as Japan announced its new prime minister.

Hugh White, a professor at Australian National University and a former Australian defense official, believes this is the latest sign the two countries are heading to war.

And the U.S. will be dragged in.

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, White says we are now witnessing the types of conditions that have historically led to war — despite conflict being in no one's interest.

THIS is how wars usually start: with a steadily escalating stand-off over something intrinsically worthless. So don't be too surprised if the US and Japan go to war with China next year over the uninhabited rocks that Japan calls the Senkakus and China calls the Diaoyu islands. And don't assume the war would be contained and short.

...

It seems almost laughably unthinkable that the world's three richest countries - two of them nuclear-armed - would go to war over something so trivial. But that is to confuse what starts a war with what causes it.

The conflict is really about China challenging the U.S. in the Pacific, White says. President Obama has vowed a Pentagon "pivot to Asia," itself a response to China's growing strength.

Claiming the Senkaku islands, a series of small outcroppings in the East China Sea, is China's way of testing America's new posture, White says.

And it's this kind of tit-for-tat that inevitably causes someone to open fire.

The risk is that, without a clear circuit-breaker, the escalation will continue until at some point shots are exchanged, and a spiral to war begins that no one can stop. Neither side could win such a war, and it would be devastating not just for them but for the rest of us.

No one wants this, but the crisis will not stop by itself.

and......

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-12/27/c_132067267.htm

Chinese military on guard against Japanese jet activity near Diaoyu Islands

English.news.cn   2012-12-27 16:50:32

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's Defense Ministry on Thursday said the Chinese military "closely monitors" and is "highly vigilant" concerning relevant Japanese Air Self-Defense Force activity in the airspace over the Diaoyu Islands.

Ministry of Defense spokesman Yang Yujun made the remarks at a press briefing while commenting on Japanese fighter jets' recent interception of a Chinese marine surveillance plane patrolling areas around the Diaoyu Islands.

"We will decisively fulfill our tasks and missions while coordinating with relevant departments such as maritime supervision organs, so as to safeguard China's maritime law enforcement activities and protect the country's territorial integrity and maritime rights," Yang said.

Yang said it is "justifiable" for the Chinese military to provide security in waters under China's jurisdiction, and other countries are "in no position" to make irresponsible remarks in this regard.

"China-Japan defense relations are an important and sensitive part of bilateral ties, and the Japanese side should face up to the difficulties and problems that currently exist in bilateral ties," Yang said.

He also called on Japan to take concrete steps to properly handle relevant issues and maintain the overall situation of Sino-Japanese ties.

Media reports say Japan's Air Self-Defense Force sent F-15 fighter jets to the area on Saturday to intercept a Chinese marine surveillance plane bound for the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

and the Spratly Islands also a scene of tension.....

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2012/12/201212273454965230.html

Philippines shores up Spratly Islands defence

South China Sea islands are claimed by China and five other countries, including the Philippines. Last Modified: 27 Dec 2012 03:48 inShare Email Print Share Feedback

Japan is in a territorial tussle with China over disputed islands in the East China Sea. There is also conflict surrounding islands in the South China Sea. The Spratly islands are claimed by China and five other countries, including the Philippines. Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan reports.