Japanese media report that an official with China's State Oceanic Administration said China's patrols of the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea are aimed at countering Japanese territorial claims.

Japan’s Tokyo Shimbun and other Japanese media based their stories on reports from China’s official People’s Daily.

The islands, known as “Diaoyu” in Chinese and as “Senkaku” in Japanese, sit at the center of a maritime dispute between the two countries. The Chinese oceanic official claims the islands originally belonged to China.

China conducts regular patrols in the region since a Japanese patrol ship and a Chinese fishing boat collided in 2010.