Disputed islands covered by US-Japan accord: Hagel: Islands at the center of a territorial row between Japan and China are covered by a military protection accord between Washington and Tokyo, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday.
"The United States does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the islands, but we do recognize they are under the administration of Japan and fall under our security treaty obligations," Hagel said at a news conference with his Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera.
Hagel's comments came amid rising tension over the uninhabited islands known in Japan as the Senkakus and in China as the Diaoyus.
