By . Rob Waugh . PUBLISHED: . 10:14 EST, 11 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:14 EST, 11 July 2012 . Apple has quietly removed a highly controversial Chinese game which portrayed  Japanese ninjas and sumo wrestlers attacking disputed islands in the East China Sea. The game, 'Defend the Diaoyu Islands' disappeared from the App Store this week, reportedly due to its political and racial content. The game refers to islands which are the subject of a heated dispute over ownership between the two countries - and the racially charged game would have served to inflame the conflict. The game, 'Defend the Diaoyu Islands' disappeared from the App Store this week, reportedly due to its political and racial content . Apple normally polices what can be released very strictly, removing apps that contain nudity or other offensive material. 'Jew . or not Jew' - 'Juif ou pas Juif' in French, which allowed users to find . out whether French celebrities were Jewish, was removed by Apple last year. Japan lodged a protest with China on . Wednesday against the entry of Chinese patrol ships into waters near . disputed islands in the East China Sea, an issue that has long been a . cause of friction between Asia's two biggest economies. China Daily said that the game violated an App Store policy which stated that games, 'cannot target a specific race, culture, real government or . corporation or any other real entity.' Apple has not provided any reason as to why the game has disappeared from the App Store. Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said three Chinese fishery patrol ships entered waters near the uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The islands, claimed by Beijing and Tokyo as well as Taipei, are located near rich fishing grounds and potentially huge oil and gas reserves. Japan said last week it was considering a plan to buy the islands from private landowners instead of letting the nationalist governor of Tokyo go ahead with a similar plan, a move diplomatic experts said may have been intended to dampen tensions but which risked backfiring and sending Sino-Japanese ties into a deep chill. Apple's iTunes store is rigidly policed - Apple vet everything sold through it . 'It is clear that the Senkaku islands are inherently Japanese territory from a historical point of view and in terms of international law and that they are under the effective control of Japan,' Fujimura told a news conference. The three Chinese ships later left the waters, with Japanese patrol ships keeping close watch.
Game removed from app store .
Racially offensive title referred to disputed islands .
Japanese portrayed as ninjas and sumo wrestlers .
By . Rob Waugh . PUBLISHED: . 10:14 EST, 11 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:14 EST, 11 July 2012 . Apple has quietly removed a highly controversial Chinese game which portrayed  Japanese ninjas and sumo wrestlers attacking disputed islands in the East China Sea. The game, 'Defend the Diaoyu Islands' disappeared from the App Store this week, reportedly due to its political and racial content. The game refers to islands which are the subject of a heated dispute over ownership between the two countries - and the racially charged game would have served to inflame the conflict. The game, 'Defend the Diaoyu Islands' disappeared from the App Store this week, reportedly due to its political and racial content . Apple normally polices what can be released very strictly, removing apps that contain nudity or other offensive material. 'Jew . or not Jew' - 'Juif ou pas Juif' in French, which allowed users to find . out whether French celebrities were Jewish, was removed by Apple last year. Japan lodged a protest with China on . Wednesday against the entry of Chinese patrol ships into waters near . disputed islands in the East China Sea, an issue that has long been a . cause of friction between Asia's two biggest economies. China Daily said that the game violated an App Store policy which stated that games, 'cannot target a specific race, culture, real government or . corporation or any other real entity.' Apple has not provided any reason as to why the game has disappeared from the App Store. Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said three Chinese fishery patrol ships entered waters near the uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The islands, claimed by Beijing and Tokyo as well as Taipei, are located near rich fishing grounds and potentially huge oil and gas reserves. Japan said last week it was considering a plan to buy the islands from private landowners instead of letting the nationalist governor of Tokyo go ahead with a similar plan, a move diplomatic experts said may have been intended to dampen tensions but which risked backfiring and sending Sino-Japanese ties into a deep chill. Apple's iTunes store is rigidly policed - Apple vet everything sold through it . 'It is clear that the Senkaku islands are inherently Japanese territory from a historical point of view and in terms of international law and that they are under the effective control of Japan,' Fujimura told a news conference. The three Chinese ships later left the waters, with Japanese patrol ships keeping close watch.
Chinese game which portrayed  Japanese ninjas and sumo wrestlers attacking disputed islands in the as to why the game has disappeared from the App