BEIJING - China would have a major advantage over the US in the event of a World War 3 scenario over Japan, an Asian policy expert has warned.

The Senkaku Islands, all of which are uninhabited, have long been the cause of sour China-Japan ties.

Sean King, senior vice-president of Park Strategies in New York and an affiliated scholar at University of Notre Dame’s Liu Institute, told Express.co.uk that the islands would likely be the single source of any armed conflict in the region.

Japan is a pacifist country, a policy that was written into its constitution shortly after it surrendered as an Imperial power in 1947.

Then, in 1960, the US officially committed itself to protecting Japan from any impending danger; this danger in decades passed having taken the form of China.

The Senkakus have long since been a point of contention, with both China and Japan laying historical claim to them.

Japan currently controls the eight landmasses, and it is widely thought that if China were to attempt to capture them, the US would step in.

However, as Mr King explained, this isn't to say that the US would be successful, as China would essentially have a "home advantage".

He said: "The US has 50,000 troops in Japan, most of whom are in Okinawa, which is nearby; it has 23,000 troops in South Korea who could be called on in case of contingency, and however many hours away the US has more troops in Hawaii and Guam.(FA)