Taipei, Jan 02: Taiwan today pledged to protect its sovereignty over a chain of disputed islands after Japan reportedly leased three of the five islands in an effort to strengthen its control over the chain.
"For the integrity of the country's sovereignty, the Republic of China (Taiwan's official title) military will definitely stand up to protect our country in case a war becomes inevitable," vice defence minister Chen Chao-Min told the Parliament. The Tiaoyutai group, also known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, is located in the east China Sea between Taiwan and Japan's southernmost island prefecture of Okinawa. Interior minister Yu Cheng-Hsien also reaffirmed Taiwan's claim over the islands.
"It is an undisputed fact that the sovereignty of Tiaoyutai belongs to the Republic of China."

Taiwan's ministry of foreign affairs said it has tried to verify the report with the Japanese government and has filed grave concern to Tokyo over the matter.

Taiwan, which split from China in 1949, has been locked in disputes with Tokyo and Beijing over the uninhabited island group which lies about 150 km northeast of Taiwan.
Taipei, Tokyo and Beijing all claim sovereignty over the islands.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun said yesterday the Japanese government in October registered its rental of the Uotsurishima, Minami-Kojima and Kita-Kojima islands with a private owner. Bureau Report