In 1969, the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) completed a seabed survey of the East China Sea, and reported the possible presence of vast underground mineral resources, including abundant oil and natural gas reserves near the Senkakus. Two years passed before Taiwan and China claimed sovereignty over the islands, in 1971, but the Japanese government’s stance has always been that Japan’s sovereignty is not in question.
钓鱼岛位于东海冲绳以西，目前无人定居，1895年被划入日本明治政府。该岛一度曾有常住民从事鲣鱼干的制作。1969年，联合国亚洲和远东经济委员会完成了一份关于东海海床的调查报告，报告说，东海海底蕴藏着大量资源，其中钓鱼岛附近海域蕴藏着巨量石油和天然气储量。两年后，1971年，中国和台湾宣称对钓鱼岛拥有主权，但日本政府立场从未改变：日本对该岛的主权不容置疑。