Correct Answer : China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea
Note :
Senkaku/Diaoyu islands Dispute :
Japan and China claim the uninhabited islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and Tiaoyu in China, as their own, but Japan has administered them since 1972. The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands were formally claimed by Japan in 1895. After Japan’s defeat in World War II, the island chain was controlled by the US until 1971 before its return. Since then, Japan has administered the island chains. China began to reassert claims over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the 1970s, citing historic rights to the area. However, Japan does not recognise Chinese claims. More recently, there has been a flare up in the region. The Japanese government said on Thursday it had protested to China regarding a set of names recently assigned by Beijing to seabed zones in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.
What is the dispute about?
* The dispute is over the claim of Senkaku islands, which have been controlled by the Japanese since 1895.
* However, between 1945 to 1972, the islands were administered by the United States. In 1971, the US handed over the authority to Japan in 1971.
* The island chain, claimed by China, Taiwan and Japan, is made up of five islets and three barren rocks covering an area of 7 square kilometres
