Tokyo has received yet another commitment from the Biden administration on defending the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands as Beijing continues its ramped-up activity near the islets.
Newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday became the third high-level official in a week to reaffirm that the uninhabited islands, known in China as the Diaoyu, fall under the U.S.-Japan security treaty.
In a 30-minute phone call just hours after his Senate confirmation, Blinken told Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi that there was “no change” to the U.S. position on Article 5 of the treaty, which states that the U.S. will defend territories under Japan’s administration in the event of an armed attack, according to the Foreign Ministry.