The Japanese and U. S. defense chiefs will reaffirm during their meeting this week that the countries’ security pact covers defense of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea that are administered by Japan and claimed by China, Japanese and U. S. government sources said Sunday.
With concern growing that Washington’s commitment could falter under President Donald Trump, Tokyo and Washington will seek to underline the robustness of the security alliance by confirming the Senkakus fall under Article 5 of the Japan-U. S. security treaty, amid China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the region, the sources said.
The uninhabited islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan, have long been a major source of friction between Japan and China. China and Taiwan call the islands Diaoyu and Tiaoyutai, respectively.
U. S. Defense Secretary James Mattis will meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Friday and with Defense Minister Tomomi Inada on Saturday.
