"We have not been notified by the United States that it has changed its stance" on the handling of the islands of Senkaku, called Diaoyu in China, said foreign ministry press secretary Kazuo Kodama.

The uninhabited islets lie between Japan and Taiwan, which both claim them, as does China.

"It is natural that Japan and the United States respond together" if the islands are attacked, Kodama told reporters.

The comment came days after a US government report warned that China's rising defence power is changing East Asia's military balance.

Following the report, Japan's defence ministry said Tuesday it would keep a close eye on Beijing's military build-up.

The long-standing territorial spat has cast a shadow over ties between the two Asian powers, despite political and business leaders' efforts to improve relations.

Japan's concern over the territory was heightened when two Chinese ships entered Japanese territorial waters near the islets in December 2008.

It has reported a rise in incidents involving China's military in recent months.

In April, Tokyo protested after a Chinese naval helicopter made a close fly-by of one of its destroyers on the high seas off a southern Japanese island chain in Okinawa prefecture, during exercises Japan considered provocative.

A similar incident took place near the Okinawan islands in the same month, when 10 Chinese naval vessels, including two submarines, were seen sailing through international waters between Japan's southernmost islands.

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