Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's government on Wednesday rejected former President Lee Teng-hui's recent argument that Japan owns the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

"The sovereignty over Tiaoyutai should not be questioned," spokeswoman Catherine Chang told reporters, referring to the Japanese-controlled island group known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands and in China as the Diaoyu.

"The government will protect its land," she added.

Interior Minister Yu Cheng-Hsien later said Taiwan's sovereignty over the islands lying 120 nautical miles to the northeast is "unquestionable and indisputable" despite the long-standing dispute involving Taiwan, China and Japan.