The May 1972 transfer back to Japan of Okinawa, which the United States had administered, included the Senkaku Islands. A few months later, when China and Japan were working to normalize relations, Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka asked Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai about the islets;
1972年5月原来由美国代管的冲绳归还给日本，尖阁列岛也在其中。几个月后，当中日两国实现关系正常化时，日本首相田中角荣曾询问中国总理周恩来这些岛屿的归属问题；周回应为避免延误关系正常化，所有争议应留给后代解决。