China does not accept Japan's protest over a newspaper article that questions Japan's sovereignty over Okinawa, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday.

"China does not accept Japan's representations or protests," Hua said at a daily news briefing.

Media reports said the Japanese government has lodged representations with China regarding the article, which was published Wednesday by the People's Daily.

Hua said academics have long paid attention to the history of Liuqiu and Okinawa, adding that the matter has become prominent again due to Japan's provocative actions over the Diaoyu Islands issue and its infringement on China's territorial sovereignty.

"(The publishing of) the bylined article demonstrates the attention paid to and the research of the Diaoyu Islands and related historical issues," she added.