TOKYO – Japan has been in the news lately, owing to its dispute with China over six square kilometers of barren islets in the East China Sea that Japan calls the Senkakus and China calls the Diaoyu Islands. The rival claims date back to the late nineteenth century, but the recent flare-up, which led to widespread anti-Japanese demonstrations in China, started in September when Japan’s government purchased three of the tiny islets from their private Japanese owner.
东京——最近，日本因就日称尖阁列岛、中国称钓鱼岛的6平方公里的荒芜小岛与中国爆发争端而频频登上媒体头条。双方的对立主张可以追溯到十九世纪末，但近来导致中国大规模反日游行的矛盾爆发却是始于9月日本政府从私人手中购买了三座小岛。