From War and Peace to Gas and Oil

These days there isn't much in the way of international conflicts that does not have something to do with hydrocarbons. The US, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Nigeria, East Timor, Indonesia, India, Russia, The EU, Turkey, Canada (with the North West Passage), Ecuador, Bolivia, to name a few, are all ( some more tragically than others) involved in foreign policy conflicts concerning either the extraction or transportation of hydrocarbons. We can now add China and Japan to the list in light of the two countries recent inabilities to agree on maritime boundaries disputed since the end of WWII (SEE STORY HERE).
Japan is in a very tight spot in the negotiations in light of the recent news that Indonesia will be cutting natural gas exports to Japan by 75% after the contract between the two nations runs out in a couple of years. The fact that China is already extracting natural gas from the region only makes the situation more desperate for Japan.
This is without a doubt the most important issue concerning relations between the two countries and one that will not be settled any time soon, especially considering the matter of China's pride in regards to the atrocities committed by Japan during WWII.