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The Japanese Government has signed a 2.05 billion yen contract with the owner of three of the five Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and has also approved the budget to buy the islands of Uotsuri, Kitakojima and Minamikojimaku from Kunioki Kurihara, who is a businessman from Saitama Prefecture. The Chinese Foreign Ministry quickly blasted Japan ’s move to nationalize the islands ‘totally illegal and invalid’ and ‘a gross violation of China 's sovereignty over its own territory’. According to the Japan Times, it warned Japan ’s action could have ‘serious consequences’ and vowed that China would take unspecified "necessary measures to protect its territorial sovereignty." China has also sent two surveillance and patrol ships near the uninhabited islands. According to the report, to ease tensions, the Foreign Ministry dispatched Shinsuke Sugiyama, head of its Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, to Beijing to explain Japan ’s action and urge Beijing to remain calm. "If there is some difficult situation that could stir up national sentiments in ( China and Japan ), it's quite important to prevent misunderstanding or unexpected accidents," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujiwara said. He reiterated the official line that the central government purchased the islets in order to secure their ‘peaceful and stable management’. Fujimura said the deal was just an official transfer of ownership of the islets within Japan and will not carry out any constructions, the report said. But China has repeatedly urged the government to drop its bid, threatening to take ‘necessary measures’ if it were to go ahead with the purchase, it added.

Japan nationalizes disputed Senkaku islands after purchase