In response to the Japanese government's official decision to "purchase" China's Diaoyu Islands, China's state news agency Xinhua has commented that the Japanese government is engaging in a dangerous gamble.

Xinhua said the decision to "purchase" the Diaoyu Islands further jeopardizes bilateral relations between the two countries, and even brings the island dispute to the tipping point.

It said that Japanese government officials should make national interests and regional peace their main priority, and remain rational and exercise restraint to avoid instigating confrontation.

It further said that Japan's decision is neither based on its national interests, nor on improving Sino-Japanese relations and is instead out of considerations for partisan battles.

Xinhua said Japan's handling of this territorial dispute ultimately reflects whether it regrets its aggression during the Second World War, and whether it accepts the outcome of its unconditional surrender under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.

The state news agency added that if Japan allows for the continued expansion of its right-wing forces, that militarism might rise again in the country, posing severe threats to regional and world peace.