Then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said that he decided to purchase the islands for the Japanese central government to prevent Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara from purchasing them with municipal funds.
O então primeiro-ministro, Yoshihiko Noda, disse que decidiu comprar as ilhas para o governo central japonês, a fim de evitar que o Governador de Tóquio, Shintaro Ishihara, as comprasse com recursos municipais.