OKYO (AP) — Japan's government said Monday it has decided to purchase several disputed islands, prompting China to angrily warn of "serious consequences" if it proceeds with the plan.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Japan will buy the three uninhabited islands in the East China Sea from a private Japanese family it recognizes as the owner. China and Taiwan also claim the islands, which are part of what Japan calls the Senkakus and China the Diaoyu group.

Fujimura said the decision to nationalize the islands reflects Japan's desire to create a "stable and secure" environment, not to anger China.

"We hope there will be no misunderstandings," he said.

China's Foreign Ministry responded swiftly, saying Beijing would not "sit back and watch its territorial sovereignty violated."

"China strongly urges Japan to immediately stop all action to undermine China's territorial sovereignty and return to a negotiated settlement to the dispute. If Japan insists on going its own way, it will bear all the serious consequences that follow," the ministry said in a statement.

It did not specify the possible consequences.

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