The US president has reiterated that islands at the centre of a Sino-Japanese dispute are covered by a US-Japan defence pact, in a public show of support for allies in Tokyo.
In comments made on Thursday in Japan, Barack Obama said that the islands - known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China - were historically administered by Tokyo and came under the terms of joint-defence alliance.
He said US commitment to the treaty was "absolute". "This is not a new position. This is a consistent one," he said.
"Article five covers all territories under Japan's administration including Senkaku islands."
However, he said: "We stand together in calling for disputes in the region, including maritime issues, to be resolved peacefully through dialogue."
- He said the US commitment to defend Japan was a matter of historical fact rather than a rebuke to China: "The treaty preceded my birth, so obviously this isn't the red line that I'm drawing."
- China later on Thursday said that the islands were its property.
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