Vintage map disproves Japan's claim to Diaoyu Islands

A northern Chinese resident unveiled Wednesday a Japanese map published in the 1930s that he believes disproves Japan's claim to the Diaoyu Islands.

Yang Xiufeng in Hebei Province said the map was published in 1935 and purchased on May 21, 1939 in Fukuona, Japan. Yang added that the map was bought by a family friend who later gave the map to his family.

One page of the map specifies that Okinawa Island belongs to Japan, but the Diaoyu Islands are not labeled on the page. On another page, Okinawa Island and its affiliated islets are described as belonging to Japan, but the Diaoyu Islands are not.

Although the map has sustained some damage, the content is still readable, with characters stating "newest Japanese map" and "latest traveling map" inscribed on its pages.

Yang said he decided to draw attention to the map after being angered by Japan's "purchase" of part of the Diaoyu Islands. Yang described the "purchase" as an "irresponsible action," adding that the map indicates that the country did not claim the islands 77 years ago.

Zhao Jingcun, a 92-year-old historian of Hebei's Tangshan Normal College, said he has no doubt that the map is of Japanese origin, adding that the islands were not included as part of Japan's territory on the map because the islands did not belong to Japan.