TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Yilan County Council on Thursday (June 11) approved a motion to change the official name of the disputed Diaoyutai Islands to “Toucheng Diaoyutai”(頭城釣魚台) in response to a Japanese local government’s name change.

The city of Ishigaki recently announced a June 22 vote to change the archipelago's name from Tonoshiro to “Tonoshiro Senkaku” (登野城尖閣), with Senkaku being the Japanese name for the Diaoyutai Islands. Yilan decided to strike back, as according to Taiwan, the islands form part of the Daxi neighborhood in its Toucheng Township .

Since 29 out of 34 Yilan County Council members representing both main parties signed the motion, the proposal was approved without a vote Thursday, Liberty Times reported. The county government, which backed the motion, said it would await the reception of the council’s decision before considering name changes in official documents.

Japan, Taiwan, and China all claim sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands, an area containing rich fishing grounds and potential reserves of oil and gas.