Japan Protests SKorea Military Drills on Disputed Islands

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Facts

• Japan’s Foreign Ministry is protesting the South Korean embassy in Tokyo and South Korea’s foreign ministry over military drills practicing the defense of disputed islands. South Korea controls the islands, which it calls Dokdo, while Japan also claims authority over the islets, which it calls Takeshima.¹
• A South Korean military source told the Yonhap News Agency Friday that it conducted its standard defense drill near the islands in mid-December. South Korea conducts island defense exercises twice every year near the disputed territories.²
• Hiroyuki Namazu, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, told a minister at South Korea's Embassy in Tokyo that the drills were 'totally unacceptable and extremely regrettable.' Namazu added that the islets are a core part of Japanese territory based on history and international law.³
• The disputed islands lie between the two East Asian countries in the Sea of Japan — which South Korea refers to as the East Sea. Japan's history of colonial rule from 1910 to 1945 and disputes over the islands have contributed to tensions between Tokyo and Seoul.⁴
• December’s defense drills were the fourth under Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration, and they come as Tokyo and Seoul work to improve relations amid worries about China’s growing strength. Since taking office in 2022, Pres. Yoon has worked to increase diplomacy with Japan, and the two countries recently held high-level economic dialogue for the first time in eight years.⁵
• Meanwhile, South Korea's defense minister issued an apology over military educational material that referred to the islands as disputed territory. On Thursday, Pres. Yoon called for the immediate recall and correction of the publication.⁶

Sources: ¹MSN, ²NHK, ³The Mainichi, ⁴ThePrint, ⁵Yahoo News and ⁶Yonhap News Agency.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Shimane. The Takeshima islands are — and have always been — part of Japan, and there is rich historical evidence dating back to the 1600s showing Japan's rightful claims. In addition to the robust history linking Japan to Takeshima, international treaties clearly established Japan incorporated Takeshima more than a century ago. Time and again, national and foreign entities have recognized Japan’s rightful control of the islands, and there should be no debate about to whom the territories belong.
• Narrative B, as provided by (재) 독도재단. While Japan claims that it has controlled the Dokdo islands for centuries, the fact is that Tokyo has continuously rewritten history, making false claims about its connection to the islands. Japan defies international orders and only publicizes its own rulings on the issue, and it has used its imperial might to push a false narrative and undermine Korea’s rightful control of Dokdo. South Korea has every right to defend its land — and that includes Dokdo — and Japan must stop lying about the territory.

Predictions