The Diaoyu Islands, although uninhabited, have long been the source of tensions between China and Japan, since both claim sovereignty over the islands. The two countries' relationship has often been strained by this dispute, which has intensified in recent years.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated that "the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands have been China's sacred territory since ancient times" and has presented its historical and legal case to back its claim. This is a rare example, however, of a Japanese historian coming to the same conclusion.

The late Kiyoshi Inoue was a Japanese academic, historian, author and professor emeritus at Kyoto University. He published Diaoyu Islands - The Historical Treaties in 1972, in which he presented his interpretation of why the Diaoyu Islands belong to China.

This book was first issued by Daisan Shokan, a Japanese publisher. Against the currently escalating tensions on the islands, New Star Press reprinted this book in February....