In May 1972, when the United States returned the Okinawa Prefecture to Japan, the transfer included the Senkaku Islands, which the US had administered from Okinawa. A few months later, when China and Japan normalized their post-World War II relations, Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka asked Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai about the Senkakus, and was told that rather than let the dispute delay normalization, the issue should be left for future generations.
1972年5月美国将冲绳县归还日本治下，随之归还的也包括尖阁列岛。几个月后，中国和日本实现战后关系正常化，时任日本首相田中角荣询问中国总理周恩来对尖阁列岛的看法，得到的答复是与其让争议延缓双边关系正常化，不如将这个问题留待后人解决。