Japan’s provocations in regard to Dokdo, which is South Korean sovereign territory, are intensifying as time goes by. The Japanese Education Minister ordered that the Teaching Guide for the Japanese Course of Study, the guidelines for writing middle and high school textbooks, state that Dokdo and the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands in China) are Japanese sovereign territory, the Japanese media reported. This implies that the claim that Dokdo is Japanese territory, which was been the position of the Japanese government, will now be reflected in the standard for producing textbooks, further aggravating the level of provocation about Dokdo. Japan must immediately reverse the changes to the guidelines and stop making absurd territorial claims to Dokdo.

Simply put, Japan’s territorial claims to Dokdo make no sense. Not only is it clear that Dokdo belonged to Korea historically, but it has also continued to be under the effective control of the South Korean government. Even the Shimane Prefectural Notice No. 40, which Japan offers as its main evidence for claiming sovereignty over Dokdo, was no more than an arbitrary administrative decision by Japan and is not valid under international law. It is mystifying why the Japanese government decision disregards these facts and why Tokyo insists on stating in its academic handbook that it was illegal for Korea to seize Dokdo. Japan must recognize that its tired claims to sovereignty over Dokdo will only intensify the conflict with its neighbor South Korea and won’t bring any tangible gains.

It is obvious that the Japanese government’s guidelines will only exacerbate poor relations with South Korea, which have already been strained enough because of problems with textbooks and interpretations of history. Japanese officials claim that they want to improve relations with South Korea, but how can we trust their sincerity when they simultaneously change the guidelines for textbooks? Furthermore, the gradually increasing shift to the right by the Abe administration is provoking concern not only in South Korea but also in the international community.

Speaking about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in a recent interview with Yonhap News, Ed Royce, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee for the US House of Representatives, said that Abe had “made a mistake.” “Japan needs to learn a lesson from history,” Royce said pointedly.

The fact that Japan plans to lay claim to the Senkaku Islands along with Dokdo in the Course of Study makes it clear that it is not interested in stability in Northeast Asia. Since Japan’s intentions became known, conflict in the region has been escalating, with Taiwan immediately expressing its opposition. Before Japan works for “peace”, it first needs to focus on bringing stability to Northeast Asia.

The South Korean government must respond to this move with dignity and firmness. It is necessary to reconfirm that Dokdo is South Korean territory both historically and effectively and to send an unmistakable warning to the Japanese government about its provocations on the matter. Considering that Japan has been cranking up its territorial claims to Dokdo recently, the South Korean government must look into even more active and comprehensive ways to deal with this.

　

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