Diaoyu Islands

Japan urged to refrain

2012-08-15 14:12

China has asked Japan to refrain from taking any action that could endanger the safety of the lives and property of Chinese citizens going to the Diaoyu Islands. 2 Japan ministers visit Yasukuni shrine

Japan asked not to endanger safety of Chinese

2012-08-15 13:52

China requires Japan to refrain from taking any action that could endanger the safety of life and property of Chinese citizens.Japan ministers visit shrine

Japan's political problems adding up

2012-08-15 08:07

Japan's troubled Noda administration is facing several political headaches on Wednesday, as tensions rise in the East China Sea and the historically sensitive anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender stirs tensions.

Japan harms ties 'for own interests'

2012-08-13 08:00

Tokyo is using Washington's pivot to Asia as a chance to intensify the Diaoyu Islands issue to serve its own interests in a move that has harmed China-Japan ties.

Protest over Japan's stance on Diaoyu Islands

2012-07-21 05:39

Chinese protest outside the Japanese consulate in New York on July 19 over Japan's stance in a dispute with China over the Diaoyu Islands. Japan on Sunday temporarily recalled its ambassador in Beijing for discussions over the islands, which Tokyo has said it will "nationalize".

History of Diaoyu Islands

2012-07-10 11:24

The Diaoyu Islands, which lie in the East China Sea between China and Japan have belonged to China since ancient times.

The islands have appeared on maps of China since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Fishermen from Taiwan and Fujian and other provinces have fished and collected herbs in this area for many generations. Records about the islands were published in a book during the rule of Ming emperor Yong Le (1403-1424), more than 400 years before Japan says it discovered the Diaoyu islands in 1884.

Geologically, the islands are attached to Taiwan. The waters around the islands are 100 to 150 meters deep and there is a 2,000-meter-deep oceanic trench between the islets and Okinawa islands.

The islands have appeared on maps of China since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Fishermen from Taiwan and Fujian and other provinces have fished and collected herbs in this area for many generations.