Japan Approves Diplomatic Paper Defining Dokdo as Japanese Territory

The Japanese government held a ministerial meeting and approved its Diplomatic Blue Paper for 2005, which clearly stated Dokdo as Japanese territory.

The blue paper is an annually published book informing the Japanese public of the nation’s diplomatic policy, and is considered the official perspective of the government.

Regarding the Dokdo issue, the paper states, “From historical facts and the perspective of international law, the island is clearly Japanese territory. Since it is not desirable to damage the friendly relationship between the citizens of two countries, efforts are required to solve the issue through talks.

The paper also emphasized the need to increase the amount of official development assistance (ODA) to secure UN Security Council Permanent Seat, clarifying its intention of expanding Japan’s aid diplomacy for underdeveloped countries.

Won-Jae Park parkwj@donga.com