Controversy is brewing as the Japanese government repeatedly claims sovereignty over Dokdo ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Korea on the 7th. When Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi visited Dokdo on the 2nd, he strongly protested through diplomatic channels the next day, saying, “It is very regrettable.” The South Korean Foreign Ministry refuted on the 3rd, saying, “We have dismissed Japan’s unreasonable claim through diplomatic channels,” and “we cannot accept any Japanese claim to our territorial sovereignty.”
On the 3rd, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan issued a press release saying that it had protested through diplomatic channels against former lawmakers’ visit to Dokdo the previous day. Takehiro Funakoshi, Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, strongly protested the visit of a member of the National Assembly to Dokdo by phone to Kim Yong-gil, Minister for Political Affairs of the Korean Embassy in Japan, saying, “It is completely unacceptable and very regrettable,” and demanded to prevent a recurrence. Director Funakoshi insisted, “Despite prior protests and requests for suspension, the landing (on Dokdo by the former lawmaker) was forced,” and “Takeshima is clearly Japanese territory in terms of historical facts and international law.” Secretary General Motegi Toshimitsu of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who is visiting the United States, also said, “It cannot be recognized in Japan. I am very sorry.”
In the diplomatic blue book announced last month, Japan also insisted that “Takeshima (the name of Dokdo claimed by Japan) is Japan’s own territory.” Some point out that right before the Korea-Japan summit, the South Korean government’s efforts to improve relations between the two countries by making a nonsensical claim to Dokdo again have been poured on. On the 2nd, former lawmaker, who posted a photo of his visit to Dokdo on his Facebook page, responded to the Japanese government’s protest on the 3rd, calling it “an obvious invasion of sovereignty and interference in internal affairs.”
The government appears to be perplexed when the Japanese government and opposition parties raise another issue regarding Dokdo amid Prime Minister Kishida’s upcoming visit to Korea. It is said that the meaning of improving Korea-Japan relations may be lost if Japan, which has not come up with advanced measures to resolve the issue of compensation for victims of forced labor, makes unreasonable claims about Dokdo before and after Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to Korea. In a briefing immediately after the Korea-Japan summit in March, a high-ranking Japanese government official said, “Prime Minister Kishida expressed his intention to deal well with the current issues between Korea and Japan. This pending issue also includes the Takeshima issue.” In response, the presidential office refuted that the Dokdo issue was not mentioned.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.