Japan not to solve islets row via intl court

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said here on Monday that Japan has no intention to use the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to solve tensions with China over islands in the East China Sea as Japan believes no territorial dispute officially exists.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda holds a news conference at his official residence in Tokyo October 1, 2012. Noda appointed Koriki Jojima as finance minister on Monday, a senior lawmaker who worked with him on a plan to raise the sales tax, in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at boosting the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) chances in an election expected in months.[Photo/Agencies]

"We are not considering using the ICJ," Noda said at a press conference, emphasizing there is no doubt the "Senkaku Islands are an integral part of Japanese territory both internationally and historically."

However, China rejected Japan's claim of sovereignty over the islands which are known as the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets in China. China said it enjoys indisputable sovereignty over the islands.

Noda's government has been embroiled in territorial spats with China and South Korea in recent months, but his remarks suggest that Japan will deal with the two neighbors in a different manner.

In August, the Japanese government formally proposed to South Korea that the two countries jointly seek a resolution at the ICJ in The Hague to their dispute over a group of sparsely inhabited islands controlled by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo.  

Meanwhile, the country's ties with China have fallen to the lowest point in the wake of Japan's "purchase" and " nationalization plan" of the Diaoyu Island and two its affiliated islets.