Tension over the islands known as in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese has spilled over in recent months, resulting in multiple tense diplomatic exchanges and even widespread anti-Japanese rioting in Chinese cities.
The big question is if this thing could actually boil over into a real war.
According to Bloomberg News, some former US officials really think it could, and will be warning Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the possibility.
A bipartisan delegation, which included Democrats Joseph Nye and James Steinberg and Republicans Richard Armitage and Stephen Hadley, was sent to meet with Chinese and Japanese leaders last week. Delegation members told Bloomberg that they plan to warn Clinton that "surprisingly poor communications and serious misunderstandings between China and Japan increase the risk that the territorial dispute could escalate if their ships collide or there’s some other mishap".
Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook.