TOKYO (Sputnik) — Tokyo stated that the Senkaku Islands belongs to Japan and entering their waters was a violation of the country’s sovereignty, NHK TV channel reported on Monday, citing the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s representative.
4 February 2017, 23:29 GMT
Japan and China have had a territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, called in Chinese the Diaoyu Islands, since the 1970s. Japan controls the territory, while China has laid claim to it. After World War II, the United States controlled the territory and transferred it to Japan in 1972 along with the Okinawa Island.
In 2012, after Japan announced the nationalization of the islands, anti-Japanese demonstrations were held across China and the country’s leaders said they would defend the territorial integrity of the islands.
