Japan says sovereignty of disputed islands not in doubt

Agence France-Presse

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Japan hopes to resolve a territorial dispute with China and Taiwan over a remote island chain peacefully, but regards its sovereignty there as indisputable

EAST CHINA SEA ISLANDS known as Diaoyu by Beijing and Senkaku by Tokyo. Photo courtesy of Japan Security Watch, New Pacific Institute

UNITED NATIONS – – Japan hopes to resolve a territorial dispute with China and Taiwan over a remote island chain peacefully, but regards its sovereignty there as indisputable, officials said Tuesday, September 25.

“We do not believe that there is a dispute to be resolved,” said Naoko Saiki, deputy director general for press and public diplomacy at the Japanese foreign ministry, as officials briefed reporters in New York.

“We do not believe there are disputes to be resolved in terms of sovereignty or territory, because in light of historical fact and of international law the Senkaku Islands are an equal part of Japan’s territory,” she said.

Japan administers the uninhabited but strategically positioned archipelago under the name Senkaku. Beijing says it has owned the islands for centuries and calls them Diaoyu. Taiwan also claims the islands.

Earlier Tuesday, coast guard vessels from Japan and Taiwan dueled with water cannon off the islands after dozens of Taiwanese boats escorted by patrol ships sailed into waters claimed by Tokyo around the island.

“We do not want to have any war or battles or use of force, so we have to stabilize the situation though dialogue in a peaceful manner in accordance with international law, that’s the basic position maintained by Japan,” Saiki said. – Agence France-Presse

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