Nuclear disagreement generates Japan-China friction

China condemned Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada for making "irresponsible" comments about a perceived failure by Beijing to fulfill its commitment to nuclear disarmament, reported the Financial Times. Okada made the statements during a meeting with Yang Jiechi, China’s foreign minister, in which the two sides discussed previous conflicts between the Chinese People’s Liberaton Army navy and Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force. The intense reaction to Japan’s mention of China’s nuclear arsenal may be a response to recent moves by the US and Russian governments towards nuclear warhead reduction, which intensifies pressure on China to reduce its own arsenal. China will likely resist making moves towards disarmament until the US and Russia have reduced their arsenals to fewer than 500 warheads.