TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday criticized a recent comment by his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, claiming sovereignty for his country over the Senkaku Islands in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa, describing it as “unacceptable.”

“The claim is based on China’s unique position,” Motegi told a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, in reply to a question from ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Hiroshi Yamada.

Wang, who is also state councillor, made the comment during a joint press conference with Motegi in Tokyo on Tuesday. Some LDP officials have voiced complaints to Motegi over his failure to contest Wang’s claim.

At the Upper House plenary session, Motegi explained that during his talks with Wang prior to the press conference, he expressed the Japanese side’s “strong concern” over Chinese government ships’ intrusions into Japan’s territorial waters, sailing in the contiguous zone and approaches to Japanese fishing vessels, all near the Senkaku Islands.

“I strongly urged the Chinese side not to take such actions,” Motegi said.

The Senkakus, a chain of islands in the East China Sea, are controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing. They are called Diaoyu in China.

JIJI Press