Pentagon Says Senkaku Islands Protected by US-Japan Security Treaty
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2021) US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has held telephone talks with his Japanese counterpart Nobuo Kishi discussing security in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly the East China Sea territorial disputes.
"Secretary Austin further affirmed that the Senkaku islands are covered by Article V of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, and that the United States remains opposed to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea," the Pentagon said in a Saturday release following the talks.
According to the statement, Austin and Kishi discussed a broad range of security issues, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
"They also discussed the need to continue implementing U.S. force realignment initiatives including continued efforts regarding the construction of the Futenma Replacement Facility in Henoko," the Pentagon said, adding that "Secretary Austin thanked Minister Kishi for Japan's continued leadership in implementing United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding North Korea and encouraged Minister Kishi to strengthen Japan's contribution to the role the Alliance continues to play in providing security in the Indo-Pacific region.
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In December, Kishi held a videoconference meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, discussing bilateral relations and the recent incidents in the East China Sea, particularly the unauthorized entries of Chinese vessels into the waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands.
The islands in question, known in China as the Diaoyudao islands, have long been an object of territorial disputes between China and Japan. Tokyo maintains it has had sovereignty over them since 1895 and Beijing claims that the islands are marked as a Chinese territory on Japanese maps circa 1783 and 1785. Following World War II, the islands were controlled by the United States and handed over to Japan in 1972. China believes Japan has illegally seized them.