New Japan FM says Korea `illegally occupying` Dokdo islets

Japan`s new Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba says Korea is illegally occupying the Dokdo islets, said a major Japanese daily Tuesday.

On the Dokdo islets effectively belonging to Korea and the Kuril Islands belonging to Russia, Gemba told the Asahi Shimbun, “They are being occupied by Korea and Russia, respectively without legal grounds.”

His comment, however, is merely a repeat of the Japanese government’s position that it has maintained in principle since the end of the World War II, and nothing more.

On Japan`s dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands, or the Diaoyu Islands in Chinese, Gemba said, “Territorial issues don’t exist, which is our stance,” adding, “In case of unexpected developments stemming from misunderstanding between the two countries, we need to set up a risk management mechanism.”

Turning to the prospects of dialogue with North Korea, he took a cautious approach, saying, “We need to keep a close eye on inter-Korean talks first.”

According to WikiLeaks, then U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer told Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Yachi Shotaro on April 20, 2006, “The United States is concerned that they (Koreans) may do something crazy, causing a major problem.”

Schieffer also said, “Japan is within its rights under international law while Koreans are behaving irrationally.”

The ambassador`s comment came at a time when tension between Seoul and Tokyo was rising due to the latter’s announcement to conduct maritime research near the disputed islets.

Yachi, however, soothed the tension by announcing a delay of the study in his visit to Seoul the next day.

changkim@donga.com