President Barack Obama said Thursday that he wants to see a dispute
between China and Japan over islands in the East China Sea resolved
peacefully, while affirming that America's mutual security treaty with
Japan applies to the islands.
"Historically they have been administered by Japan and we do not believe
that they should be subject to change unilaterally," Obama said at a
news conference with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "What is a consistent
part of the alliance is that the treaty covers all territories
administered by Japan."
China and Japan have conflicting claims to the remote islands, called
Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China. The dispute has badly strained
relations between the two Asian powers.http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/obama-opens-country-asia-pacific-trip-tokyo-23435473