Japan says 'no dispute' exists on Senkaku Islands anniversary

Japan has reiterated its ownership over the Senkaku Islands by reiterating that 'no dispute' exists on the East China Sea islets.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said it is evident that the islands are Japan's territory, the BBC reports.

The Japanese Coast Guard was on high alert on Wednesday, which marked the first anniversary of the Senkaku Islands nationalisation.

The move came after Beijing had sent several coastguard boats to patrol around the islands on Tuesday.

Japan purchased the islands from their private owner a year ago, which China described as illegal.

A Japanese official, Yuma Miyako, said they have sailed their ships very close to the Chinese ships to prevent them from entering their territorial waters.

The chain of East China Sea islets lies east of the Chinese mainland and southwest of Japan's southern-most prefecture, Okinawa, the report added.

These disputed islands are close to strategically important shipping lanes and offer rich fishing grounds.