The Japanese government on Tuesday signed a purchase contract with a private owner to nationalize 3 of the 5 islets of the Senkaku Island group despite strong opposition from China, who also claims sovereignty over the island, known as Daioyu in Chinese. The contract was signed following the Japanese government’s decision to spend more than 30 million USD from a reserve fund to buy the islands. On Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Jiang Jiechi urgently summoned Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa to reject Japan’s plan to nationalize part of the disputed islands. The same day, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, in an address to teachers and students at the Beijing External Relations Institute said the Daioyu Islands belong to China and that the Chinese government and people will not give in on the sovereignty issue. Japan’s Foreign Ministry has sent the Director of the Asia- Oceania Department Shinsuke Sugiyama to China to explain Japan’s intention and urge Beijing to remain calm.