There is always a humane story to life when dispute and controversies surround a situation. So the humane angle to the Senkaku Islands dispute is the attempt of Japanese writer Akiko Aoki to bridge the Japan between China and Japan through a book that can help the Japanese better understand the other side.
Her book is actually a translation of a very popular Chinese book penned by popular author. The Japanese version is called “Shanghai: Katatsumuri no Ie” (“Snail House”) by Liu Liu. It is an adaptation of how a young couple is trying to make their lives better by moving out from their snail-like apartment to a bigger space. The original was even made into a hit TV series in China, so hopefully this comedy-emotional-dramatic story will find a good response in Japan.
Trailing the story of an asset-inflated economic bubble, filled with corrupt bureaucrats and the gaping gulf between the poor and rich is all what this book is about. A healthy dose of materialism, infidelity and sex is also showcased. I guess what Akiko Aoki is really trying to tell us is that at the end of the day, people are people and it doesn’t matter which part of the world we live in. Basically all humans are bound by the basic emotions of love, laughter, trust and family values. That’s what makes humans stand right above the ladder of evolution.