In a region which is already bristling with tension, a further deterioration in relations between countries is the last thing anybody wants. Maritime territorial disputes in Southeast Asia are causing serious concern and what makes the situation complex is the large number of countries involved.

A territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan is the latest which is dominating the headlines. Two Japanese cabinet ministers visited a controversial war shrine in Tokyo yesterday in a move that could worsen relations with China and South Korea. The shrine they visited to commemorate the 67th anniversary of Japan’s surrender that ended World War II, the Yasukuni Shrine, is particularly sensitive because its honorees include men convicted of war crimes.

The relations between Seoul and Tokyo have hit a new low after South Korean leader visited last Friday a string of islets which are also claimed by Japan. The tension between the two is a matter of great concern because it is between Asia’s second and fourth-biggest economies and two close allies of the United States. The visit preceded a flare-up over a separate set of islands which Japan and China have claimed. The dispute comes ahead of leadership contests this year in South Korea, Japan and China, which could result in a hardening of positions as governments try to make political mileage.

Japan recalled its ambassador to South Korea to protest Lee’s visit to the islets, called Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo in Korean, which lie 87 kilometers east of the closest South Korean territory and 158 kilometers from the Japanese land. The area is worth fighting for because it includes fishing grounds and natural gas reserves and may also have oil.

China is currently locked in a bitter maritime territorial dispute with the Philippines, with the navies of both the countries facing each other in the disputed waters. Beijing is also locked in disputes with Malaysia and Japan. The latest tension between South Korea and Japan will further complicate the situation and will result in an increase in defence budgets and can adversely affect their economies. A group of former US policymakers, for example, called yesterday for Japan to expand the scope of defence cooperation with Washington, saying that the two nations’ alliance needed momentum to overcome strains.

Both South Korean Japan need to step back from the brink and must realise that only their enemies in the region will benefit from the latest tension. Since both are close allies of Washington, the latter may not do anything which will be seen as favouring one side.

Washington must persuade its allies to eschew the path of confrontation and choose talks to resolve their differences.