A Mirror of Japan (Ri Ben Yi Jian)

In 1556 (the 35th year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty), Zheng Shungong wrote A Mirror of Japan (Ri Ben Yi Jian) after being dispatched by the Ming court to Japan on a study trip. An illustration in the book – “Roadmap from Fujian to Japan” records that “Diaoyu Yu is Xiaodong’s affiliated island” Xiaodong was another name for Taiwan at that time. That shows Diaoyu Dao is Taiwan’s affiliated island.