The islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, are seen. Photo: AP

(VOVworld) - Japan lodged a protest with China for launching Japanese and English versions of websites claiming China's sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, a top Japanese government spokesman said Wednesday.
The Japanese government made the protest to the Chinese Foreign Ministry through the Japanese embassy in Beijing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference. Suga said that China distorts facts and makes claims that can never be tolerated by the Japanese government, speaking of the islands in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture.
The Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu Islands in Chinese, are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan but claimed by China. The disputed islands, 400km west of Okinawa, have provoked tensions in China- Japan relations in recent years.