Saturday 08th January, 07:23 AM JST
TOKYO —
The central government turned down Friday a request by the city government of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, for permission to land on the Senkaku Islands disputed by China which are under the city’s jurisdiction and partly privately owned but rented to Tokyo.
The request was filed in October after September’s maritime collisions between Japanese and Chinese vessels, which strained bilateral ties, by Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama and some city assembly members with the internal affairs ministry.
The local authorities said they planned to research nature and the ecosystem on the uninhibited isles in the East China Sea, but the ministry said they took into consideration that the landowner on the island did not want outsiders from the central government landing there.
The ministry also said in conveying its stance to the city office the government has rented the islands for ‘‘peaceful and stable management and control.’‘
‘‘Should anyone land by force, we will deal with the case under domestic law,’’ a ministry official said.
After leasing the nonpublic parts on the islands from the private owner, the central government has restricted landings on the islets.
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