Japan And South Korea Conflict: Seoul Claims Tokyo Is Breaking International Law In Dispute Over Sea Of Japan Islets

Territorial tensions between Japan and South Korea escalated Wednesday after Tokyo sent its top official to a local event aimed at emphasizing its claim on a group of islets in the Sea of Japan. Tokyo has laid claims on the islets, which are controlled by South Korea.

The islets in question are Liancourt Rocks, which are known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan. In a bid to promulgate its claim on the territory, the Japanese government sent Shunsuke Mutai, the parliamentary vice minister of the Cabinet Office, to Honshu Island’s Shimane Prefecture, where the so-called Takeshima Day is marked every Feb. 22 since 2005.

However, the move garnered criticism from South Korea, which demanded Japan to let go of the territorial claims over the Liancourt Rocks.

"We strongly protest Japan's central government for maintaining its unjustified claim to Dokdo by sending a high-ranking official again to the so-called Dokdo Day held by Shimane Prefecture," the South Korean foreign ministry said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

"We demand Japan immediately stop its useless attempt over Dokdo, which is our territory historically, geographically and by international law, and must show an attitude of seeing historical facts in a humble way," the ministry said, adding that it called a senior Japanese diplomat to lodge an official protest.

According to Japanese media, it was the fifth time since 2013 that the Japanese government has sent a parliamentary vice Cabinet Office minister to mark the Takeshima Day. South Korea has police presence on the Liancourt Rocks since its liberation from Japan in 1945.

Apart from this, Japan also lodged a protest with South Korea over a video, in which the latter referred to the Sea of Japan as East Sea, Japan’s Kyodo News reported Wednesday. The English-language video reportedly claimed “Japan knows the truth” about the historical use of the East Sea’s name. It also called for the use of both names — Sea of Japan and East Sea — on international maps.

The Japanese government lodged a formal protest to South Korea against the video, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.

“The Sea of Japan is established internationally as the only name (for the sea). Japan cannot accept the contents of the video,” Suga said.