Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has said that he decided to purchase the islands for the Japanese central government to prevent Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara from purchasing them with municipal funds. Ishihara, who has since resigned from office to launch a new political party, is well known for nationalist provocation, and Noda feared that he would try to occupy the islands or find other ways to use them to provoke China and whip up popular support in Japan.
首相野田佳彦表示他决意代表日中央政府购岛的初衷是防止东京都知事石原慎太郎利用市属资金购岛。自此之后辞去公职筹划新政党的石原因惯于民族主义挑衅而广为人知，野田担心他会试图占据小岛，或找出其他方法刺激中国以掀起日本民众的支持。而中国高官并不接受野田的解释，并认定购岛行为证明日本企图破坏现状。