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Tokyo governor to visit southern islets amid dispute with China Tokyo's governor plans to visit a rocky outcrop south of the Japanese capital next month amid questions from China about the validity of Japan's claim of sovereignty over the islets and the surrounding seas. China says Okinotorishima, a pair of islets about 1,730 kilometers (1,070 miles) southwest of Tokyo, are only rocks _ not an island governed by rules of sovereignty _ and therefore can't be used by Japan to extend its economic zone while preventing Beijing from exploiting natural resources in the surrounding Pacific Ocean area. Governor Shintaro Ishihara...

Japan blasts China for carrying out undersea surveys AP , TOKYO Saturday, Mar 26, 2005,Page 1 Japan yesterday accused China of illegally conducting undersea surveys in its territory 22 times last year, including nine surveys near two Pacific Ocean islets at the center of a dispute between the two countries over resources. Meanwhile, a delegation from a Japanese nongovernment group yesterday steamed toward the Okinotorishima islets to study the possibility of building a lighthouse it hopes would strengthen Japan's foothold there. In a statement, Japan's Foreign Ministry said China had illegally conducted undersea surveys inside Japan's special economic zone 22...

Rattled by China's development of the Chunxiao gas field in the East China Sea, the government is setting up a task force to ensure Japan's vast ocean interests are protected. The task force comprising officials from various ministries and agencies will be in place this month and operate with a focus on Okinotorishima island, Japan's southernmost point. Located more than 1,600 kilometers south of the capital, the island is part of the Ogasawara chain and comes under the jurisdiction of Tokyo. Actually, the island is two tiny islets: but its location gives Japan a huge advantage. The exclusive economic zone...