Japan has agreed to buy disputed East China Sea islets, claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing, from their private Japanese owners, Japanese media said on Wednesday, a move likely to fuel tensions between Asia's two largest economies.
The Japanese government will buy the islets for 2.05 billion yen ($26.15 million) and the owners will sign a contract soon, the Japanese dailies Asahi and Yomiuri said.
The planned purchase of the islands, controlled by Japan and claimed by Taiwan as well, will be approved in a cabinet meeting as early as mid-September, the newspapers said.
The Japanese coast guard last month detained Chinese activists who sailed from Hong Kong and landed on the East China Sea islands, triggering anti-Japanese demonstrations in China.
The Japanese government's plan to purchase the islets comes after Tokyo's nationalist governor, Shintaro Ishihara, proposed a similar plan earlier this year. The Tokyo metropolitan government sent a team of officials to waters near the islets at the weekend to conduct a survey. ($1 = 78.3900 Japanese yen)
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