Remote, uninhabited but for feral goats and unusual species of moles and crabs, the attractions of the Senkaku islands as a piece of real estate are not immediately obvious.
尖阁诸岛地处遥远，而且除了野生山羊和鼹鼠与螃蟹的不寻常的物种外，其上无人居住，作为一片房地产来说，它的吸引力暂时还不是很明显。
But now there is an interested buyer for three of them, and if a transaction goes ahead, it could ratchet up tension between Asia's two biggest economies.
但现在有一个买家对其中三个岛屿感兴趣，如果交易进行下去，可能加剧亚洲两个最大的经济体之间的紧张关系。
Even the name of the archipelago, which is administered by Japan, is a source of disagreement.
这个群岛现由日本管辖，即使对它的称呼也存在着分歧。
China calls the outcrops in the East China Sea the Diaoyu islands and says they are part of its territory. Taiwan also lays claim.
中国称这些位于中国东海的小岛为钓鱼岛，并声称它们是中国领土的一部分。台湾也提出主权要求。
Putting aside the sovereign dispute, ownership in the strict legal sense lies with Kuniki Kurihara, a businessman from Saitama in the commuter belt outside Tokyo whose family is better known for running wedding reception halls.
先不去谈主权争端，它在严格的法律意义上的所有权属于栗原邦树（有争议的群岛
The archipelago consists of five islands and three reefs
这个群岛包括5个岛屿和3个珊瑚礁
Japan, China and Taiwan claim them; they are controlled by Japan and form part of Okinawa prefecture
日本、中国和台湾有主权要求；现由日本控制，是冲绳县辖区的一部分
Japanese businessman Kunioki Kurihara owns three of the islands, which he rents to the Japanese state
日本商人栗原邦树拥有其中3个岛屿，现租借给日本国使用。
The islands were the focus of a major diplomatic row between Japan and China in 2010
这个群岛是2010年日本和中国的一个主要外交争端。
Earlier this week during a visit to Washington, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara announced he was in discussions with Mr Kurihara about the city buying them.
本星期早些时候，在访问华盛顿期间，东京都知事石原慎太郎宣布，他在与栗原先生商讨关于由东京市购买这些岛屿的事宜。
He said a deal could be concluded by the end of the year "to protect Japanese territory".
他说，协议可能在年底前达成，“以保护日本领土”。
Rented out
租借出去
Mr Kurihara's lawyer, Makoto Watanabe, would not comment on the price - suggested valuations have run from zero to $500m (£311.9m) - but told the BBC that his client was motivated to sell.
栗原先生的律师渡边诚（Makoto Watanabe），不愿对交易价格作出评论，他暗示评估价格从0到5亿美元（3.119亿英镑），但他对BBC记者说，他的当事人有意出售。
He said Mr Kurihara was growing old, and the diplomatic stand-off had shaken his confidence in his ability to own the islands as his personal property.
他说，栗原先生年事已高，而由此引发的外交争端，已动摇了他以自己的能力拥有这些岛屿作为私人财产的信心。
He is said to have bought the islands 40 years ago from a man who had inherited them from ancestors who had held them since the 19th Century.
据说他40年前从一个人手里买来这些岛屿，那个人是从他的祖先那里继承而来，他的祖先自19世纪以来就拥有这些岛屿。
The Japanese government currently rents Mr Kurihara's three islands, as well as a fourth owned by another member of his family. The fifth is already the property of the state.
日本政府目前租用栗原先生的3个岛屿，以及他的家庭的另一名成员所拥有的第4个岛屿。第5个岛屿已经是国家所有。
The islands are so controversial because of the potential riches that lie around them.
这些岛屿存在如此大的争议，是因为在它们的周围存在着潜在的财富。
Four years ago, Beijing and Tokyo agreed to jointly develop nearby gas fields, but the deal was never implemented.
四年前，北京和东京同意共同开发附近的天然气田，但这个协议从来没有实行。
In 2010, a collision between a Chinese trawler and a Japanese coastguard vessel triggered a serious diplomatic stand-off between the two countries.
2010年，一艘中国拖网渔船和一艘日本海上保安厅的船只发生碰撞，引发了两国之间严重的外交对峙。
Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara is known for being a staunch nationalist
东京都知事石原慎太郎被认为是一个坚定的民族主义者
Some observers have cast doubt on the viability of Mr Ishihara's plan.
一些观察家已经开始怀疑石原先生的计划的可行性。
They point out that the city's assembly might not consider buying islands 1, 900km (1, 200 miles) away from Tokyo an appropriate use of taxpayers' money.
他们指出，市议会可能不会认为，购买距离东京1900公里（1200英里）的这些岛屿，是对纳税人金钱的合理使用。
Mr Ishihara's deputy has raised the possibility of appealing for public donations to fund the purchase.
石原先生的副手提出了呼吁公众捐款，以资助购买的可能性。
Known as a strong nationalist, the Tokyo governor has made a career out of saying what many Japanese consider the unsayable.
东京都知事被认为是强烈的民族主义者，他说出了很多日本人认为不可言说的一些言论，这成就了他的职业生涯。
In the past he has denied the Nanjing massacre took place and called for Japan to tear up its pacifist constitution in response to China's rise and acquire nuclear weapons.
在过去，他否认了南京大屠杀的发生，并呼吁日本撕毁和平宪法，以应对中国的崛起，并取得核武器。
Last year, he was forced to apologise for saying the earthquake and tsunami were divine retribution for the "egoism" of the Japanese.
去年他说，地震和海啸是对日本人的“利己主义”的神的报应，他被迫为此道歉。
His intervention over the Senkaku islands prompted a strong response from China, which said any purchase would be "illegal and invalid".
他对尖阁群岛的干预引起了来自中国强烈反应，中国表示，任何对岛屿的购买都是“非法和无效的”。
"I think the purpose of Ishihara was to irritate, if not infuriate, the Chinese, " said Kuni Miyake, a former Japanese diplomat, who now runs the think-tank Foreign Policy Institute in Tokyo.
“我认为，石原的目的是为了刺激——如果不是激怒——中国政府，” 日本前外交官宫家邦彦（Kuni Miyake）说，他现在负责东京外交政策研究所的智囊团。
"The Chinese response was exactly what he wanted. Probably that overreaction will force the Japanese government, as well as the Japanese people, to be more defensive and more proactive. So Ishihara won, China lost, and the substance hasn't changed."
“中国的反应正是他想要的。可能那种过度反应将迫使日本政府和日本人民，变得更加注重自卫，也更加积极。所以，石原赢了，中国输了，而且事情的本质并没有改变。”
The Japanese government has already been pushed into action.
日本政府已经被迫采取行动。
Speaking in parliament, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda reasserted Japan's sovereignty over the islands.
首相野田佳彦（Yoshihiko Noda）在国会重申，日本对这些岛屿拥有主权。
And hinting that the governor of Tokyo might face competition to secure their purchase, he said the national government "will consider everything while confirming the owner's true intentions over the recent developments".
他暗示，东京都知事在确保买到岛屿方面，可能面临竞争，他说，日本政府 “将全面考虑，并确认岛屿所有者对最近事态发展的真正意愿。”
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