TOKYO: Japan has lodged a strong protest to China through diplomatic channels over a new map released by Beijing last month, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Tuesday.

Tokyo urged Beijing to rescind the map because it has a description based on China’s unilateral claims on the Senkaku Islands in southern Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, Matsuno told a news conference.

The map describes the Senkakus as the Diaoyu Islands, the Chinese name for the islands. The Japanese-administered islands in the East China Sea are claimed by Beijing.

The islands are “indisputably an inherent part of Japanese territory, both historically and under international law,” Matsuno said.

Japan “responds in a calm and resolute way, based on its policy to stand firm in protecting people’s lives and properties, as well as the country’s land, seas and airspace,” he said.

The Chinese map, which describes disputed areas as part of Chinese territory, also draws protests from other countries.

Matsuno said that Japan is watching Chinese moves closely with concerns.

JIJI Press