Japanese official denies Jingping called disputed Senkaku islands 'core interest of China'

Japan has denied Chinese President Xi Jinping termed the Senkaku islands 'a core interest' of China in his informal summit with U.S. President Barack Obama last week in California.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga brushed aside the reports during a Wednesday news conference, indicating Tokyo was briefed otherwise by U.S. officials about the Xi-Obama meeting.

According to the Japan Times, Suga said Tokyo has maintained close cooperation with the U.S. and was aware Jinping did not call the Senkakus a core interest of China.

The Senkaku Islands are held by Japan, but claimed by China and Taiwan. They have been a major source of diplomatic tension between Beijing and Tokyo.

In April, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman for the first time described in public the Senkaku Islands as a core interest of the country, causing a stir in Japan, the report added.