Japan and the United States plan to affirm that the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea fall under the scope of their security treaty in a joint statement to be issued by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President Joe Biden at their summit next month, a government source said Friday.
The uninhabited islets are controlled by Japan but claimed by China, and the move could further strain relations between Washington and Beijing.
According to the Japanese government source, Suga and Biden are expected to make clear Article 5 of the 1960 security treaty, which states the United States will defend territories under Japan's administration from armed attack, applies to the group of islets.