US President Barack Obama reaffirmed America’s commitment to support Japan in its dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands.  But Obama cautioned both countries to settle the issue peacefully with dialogue, and not escalation.

“It would be a profound mistake to continue to see escalation around this issue instead of dialogue,” President Obama said at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.

Obama explicitly stated the Senkaku Islands fall under the treaty obliging the United States to defend Japan if attacked.  Japan has controlled the Senkakus for more than a century, but China claimed them in the 1970s after a study suggested oil and gas might lie beneath the ocean floor nearby.  China has stepped up its claim in recent months, constantly intruding on Japanese territorial waters near the islands.

“The Japan-US alliance is more robust than ever before,” Abe said.

Earlier, Obama had a private meeting with Emperor Akihito at the Kokyo and on Wednesday night, enjoyed a sushi dinner at Tokyo’s famed sushi restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro.  Later, he’ll visit the Meiji Shrine.  South Korea is the next stop on this Asian trip.