Japan refuses to take back Dokdo protest letter sent to Korea

The Japanese government has refused to take back a protest letter sent from the Japanese prime minister to Korean President Lee Myung-bak over his recent visit to the disputed Dokdo islets. The Korean government will keep trying to send the letter back for a while.

Kim Ki-hong, a councilor at the Korean Embassy in Tokyo, visited the Japanese Foreign Ministry to return the letter Thursday. He called the ministry earlier to make an appointment, but was told that a request for a meeting to return the letter would be rejected.

He went to the ministry on a van, but security guards would not let the vehicle through the main entrance. This refusal was unusual because embassy vehicles are usually allowed to go through the main entrance right away.

The councilor called a Japanese official in charge of Northeast Asia affairs but in vain. Kim ended up heading back to his embassy at 4:40 p.m. after spending an hour trying to get into the ministry.

One Japanese reporter covering this episode said, “I think it was so childish for the Japanese government not to even receive the returned letter even if returning a diplomatic letter might be considered rude.”

For the time being, Seoul will continue trying to send the letter back regardless of Tokyo’s refusal. The Korean Foreign Ministry said, “We haven’t been able to set a schedule for a meeting yet, but we have made clear our intention to return the letter. We are waiting for an answer from the Japanese government.”

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