China slams Japan over museum for disputed islands

BEIJING, Jan 26 (AFP): China on Friday said it was "strongly dissatisfied" with the opening of a museum in Tokyo devoted to disputed islands, as the Japanese foreign minister prepares to visit Beijing this weekend.

The museum, which opened Thursday and is run by the Japanese government, displays documents and photographs defending Japan's claims over two sets of islands that China and South Korea also see as their own.

Japan has a longstanding dispute with China over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. They are administered by Japan, where they are known as "Senkaku", but also claimed by China, which calls them "Diaoyu".

Tokyo also claims islands in the Sea of Japan that are controlled by South Korea. They are known as "Dokdo" in Korean and "Takeshima" in Japanese.

South Korea immediately demanded the closure of the museum as it denounced Japan's "unjustifiable claims" to its "inherent territory".