The Japanese Government plans to strengthen its administration of some 400 remote islands, with the aim of ensuring control over natural resources in the surrounding waters, news reports said today.
The Government is considering establishing a new council after upper house elections on Sunday, to gather data on islands that define the limits of Japan’s territorial waters, the Kyodo News agency reported, citing an unnamed government official.
Tokyo plans to carry out surveys on the 400 islands, half of which are still not named, Kyodo said.
The Government may nationalise islands that do not have legal owners, the report said.
The move comes amid increasing tensions over maritime activities by the Chinese military near Japan, and territorial disputes over islands in the region.
On Saturday, a fleet of 16 Russian warships and five Chinese navy vessels sailed through the strait between Sakhalin island and the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.