The mayor and city assembly of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, urged the central government Monday to beef up security and surveillance near the disputed Senkaku Islands.
"We expect the government to defend the Senkaku Islands so the area is safe for our fishermen," Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama said after visiting the prime minister's office. Ishigaki administers the islands in the East China Sea, but they are also claimed by China and Taiwan.
The city of Ishigaki adopted a resolution Sept. 28 expressing discontent over the release of the captain of a Chinese trawler, and another one demanding the Chinese government refrain from intruding in Japanese territorial waters.