1.   Both sides are claiming that the island belongs to them.

2.   But the islands belong to the albatross.

3.   Historically, the islands have belonged to traders since as early as the ninth century, when Zanzibar became the trade link between Africa and the Arab world.

4.   New England traders continued to trade briskly with the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, even though those sugar-rich islands belonged to the enemy French.

5.   Still, the islands belong to Ecuador only by an accident of history.

6.   But the Japanese side reportedly refused to accept the deal, saying it would amount to recognizing that the islands belong to Russia.

7.   China and Taiwan say the islands have belonged to them for centuries.

8.   Fellow protesters pushed and shoved police, demanding that Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda apologize for his Friday statement that the island belongs to Japan.

9.   Indonesian legislator Djoko Susilo said the islands geographically belonged to the Dutch colonial empire and hence were legally part of Indonesia.

10.   Japan has likewise said it does not want to provoke China, although it is adamant that the islands belong to Tokyo.