Japan`s brazen claim to Dokdo

Japan has proposed resolution of its territorial dispute with Korea over Dokdo, Korea’s easternmost islets and territory that is claimed by Japan, via the International Court of Justice. Dokdo is Korean territory both historically and geographically under international law. So Japan’s latest attempt is to make Dokdo a globally disputed area. Tokyo`s request is its third in 50 years after ones made in 1952 and 1954. Dokdo is not subject to territorial dispute because Korea practically owns the islets. Japan’s request is an apparent provocation against Korean sovereignty.

Japan is likely to use this request as the basis to file a complaint with the International Court of Justice on its own. Tokyo has pushed this case ahead unilaterally, but the dispute cannot be brought to trial if Seoul disagrees because the international court needs mutual agreement from both sides. Japan might want to make the impression that Korea refuses a peaceful solution to the problem with the help of an international body. Then Tokyo might seek bilateral talks based on a 1965 memorandum of dispute resolution signed with Seoul. Or it might also think of bringing the case to the U.N. Good Offices Commission.

Korea needs to accumulate sufficient legal evidence to claim Dokdo as its territory despite rejecting Japan’s proposal. This is different from Seoul not going to the international court due to lack of evidence despite having plenty of evidence. At the same time, Korea should reinforce its practical rule over the islets.

Japan promptly deported back to Hong Kong a Chinese protester who arrived in the Senkaku Islands (called the Daowi Islands in China) to protest Japanese rule of the islands without prosecution in Japan. Russian Prime Minister Medvedev even visited twice the Kuril Islands, four of which are disputed territory between Moscow and Tokyo, but Japan did not give a reaction as harsh as the one given to Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s trip to Dokdo. Tokyo apparently considers Seoul the easier party to deal with in territorial disputes.

Japan`s brazen claim to Dokdo reminds Koreans of Japanese colonial rule. In 1905, when Japan incorporated Dokdo into Shimane Prefecture and called the islets Takeshima, Shimane residents did not even understand what Takeshima meant. In retaliation over the Dokdo dispute, Tokyo unilaterally postponed a finance minister’s meeting, began reconsidering its agreement with Seoul to expand a bilateral currency swap, and even threatened to oppose Korea`s entry into the United Nations Security Council. Japan must stop claiming Dokdo as its territory, and must instead apologize to its neighbors and repent for its past war crimes.

With general elections in Japan slated for next month, the Noda administration in Tokyo wants to give the impression of its strength in dealings with other countries and announcing measures that could hurt Japan’s ties with Korea. Tokyo`s attempt to use international court to resolve the Dokdo dispute stems from the same imperial spirit that caused Japan to invade Korea early in the 20th century.