Japan's Foreign Ministry said Friday it had asked Google Inc. to revert to only using Japan's name on Google Maps for a group of islets controlled by Tokyo but claimed by China and Taiwan.
The ministry told Google that the Senkaku Islands are Japan's inherent territory and Japan's claim has clear basis historically and is based on international law, a ministry official said.
The ministry noticed on Thursday that the Chinese and Taiwanese names were being used along with the Japanese name on Google Maps for the islands in the East China Sea. The islands are called Diaoyu in China and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan.
The Chinese and Taiwanese names have since been removed.
Japan made a similar request to Google to remove the Chinese name for the islands in 2010.
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