The Noda government chose to nationalize the islands just one week after the anniversary of the 1931 Mukden Incident, which served as a pretext for the Imperial Japanese Army to invade northeastern China, which became a step leading up to the Pacific War.

In light of this background, the Noda government's choice to nationalize the islands so close to the anniversary could be interpreted as an attempt to create a direct link between present-day Japan and the Japanese Empire.

However, according to former U.S. Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell (Kyodo News/Japan Times, April 10, 2013), the United States warned Noda not to nationalize the islands.

It was in this context that Japanese ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa also warned the Noda government that the nationalization would gravely harm Sino-Japanese relations and potentially endanger peace in North Asia.

On June 12, 2012, for example, Ambassador Niwa told the Financial Times "If [Tokyo Governor Shintaro] Ishihara’s plans [to buy the islands] are acted upon, then it will result in an extremely grave crisis in relations between Japan and China.

[8] Ishihara's actions and Prime Minister Noda's subsequent nationalization of the islands led to large scale anti-Japan demonstrations in 2012 and a grave crisis in diplomatic relations between Japan and China, proving that the fears of the United States and Niwa had been well founded.