TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is set to clarify the ownership of 280 remote islands in its territorial waters and register them as national assets, a move that could rile China and South Korea, which are engaged in territorial disputes with Tokyo.
Japan's move to survey the islands and claim those with no apparent owners was announced this week and continues a plan first begun five years ago, an official at the country's Oceanic Policy and Territorial Issues secretariat said.
