뉴스레터

On February 20, I flew to Yonago Airport in Shimane Prefecture, Japan, on the occasion of "Takeshima Day" celebrated by the prefecture every year since 2005. I have visited Japan dozens of times for the past ten years, but this was the first time that I experienced in-depth investigation to enter the country. When we finally went out the gate, we saw a number of local police officers waiting for us. They explained that they wanted to protect us against any clashes with right-wing activists in Japan. The police officers accompanied us from the airport to the hotel, and they also came to the hotel on February 22 to take us to the venue of the "Takeshima Day" event. It was rather quiet in the area surrounding the Shimane Prefecture Hall, maybe because it was in the afternoon. Nevertheless, Japanese police officers went overboard, making us enter the Hall one by one. The Hall was packed with many participants and journalists.

Various Views on the Issue of Japan's Territory

The ceremony consisted of three sessions, and participants included Shimane Prefecture's Governor Mizoguchi Zenbe, 12 politicians, 500 citizens and 20 journalists. Politicians made remarks in the first session, and the second session presented video clips of middle school students reading aloud their essays on "Takeshima and the issue of northern territory". In the third session, a symposium was held under the title, "Takeshima Education Forum: Issues surrounding Takeshima Education"

The first session began with the remarks of Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) lawmaker, Watanabe Shu. "Due to the Korean Wave, children in Japan have more opportunities to make friends with Koreans. In this regard, we need to provide them with education about 'Takeshima', so that they can take a firm stance when their Korean counterparts make remarks about Dokdo", he said. Another DPJ lawmaker, Hisaaki Komuro, claimed that "Takeshima" is Japanese territory. However, he also mentioned that East Asia takes up one third of global economic output, and neighboring countries in East Asia are important economic partners of Japan. He stated that he opposed to the ordinance for "Takeshima Day", saying that Japan needs to cooperate with Korea in terms of Yeonpyeong Island incident, and that Korea-Japan relations should be restored.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker, Shindo Yoshitaka, criticized the ruling DJP's policies for "Takeshima". He claimed that an organization dedicated to resolve the issue of "northern territory" as well as "Takeshima" will be created if the LDP seizes power, and relevant acts and laws are being pursued. Another LDP lawmaker, Hosoda Hiroyuki, agreed with Shindo Yoshitaka and stressed that such an organization should be established to effectively respond to the issue of "Takeshima".

People's New Party (PNP) lawmaker, Kamei Akiko, pointed out that for the issue of "northern territory", a conference was held in Tokyo, and the Prime Minister attended it. In contrast, the issue of "Takeshima" is discussed in peripheral regions, and only a handful of lawmakers attend the event. "Japan postponed the release of its defense white paper due to the description of 'Takeshima', and neighboring countries discovered weaknesses in Japan's territorial policies. This led to the current situation regarding the issue of Senkaku Islands with China and regarding the issue of "northern territory" with Russia. It seems that Korea, China and Russia join hands to deal with territorial disputes with Japan, and we need to develop strategies on the national level in this regard", she said.

Views on "Takeshima" Education

In the third session, Watanabe Shu made comments that many teachers do not have the capabilities to effectively educate students about "Takeshima". Shindo Yoshitaka mentioned that circumstances have significantly changed recently for the past year and a half. He claimed that the issue of "Takeshima" should not be confined to Shimane Prefecture, and stressed the need for developing national-level strategies and reflecting them in education.

Principal Yamaguchi Shushi from Ino Elementary School stated that students appreciate education on "Takeshima": According to him, the students only viewed the issue of "Takeshima" as a serious controversy, but they now have a deeper understanding of the issue. Principal Tsunezumi Satoshi from Chibu Middle School remarked that he was happy to witness the positive results of "Takeshima" education after four years of conducting educational programs. Superintendent Ito Yukio from Shimane Prefecture's Office of Education emphasized the need for elevating the issue of "Takeshima" to the national level, instead of discussing it only in Shimane Prefecture.

Unlike last year, there were no protests of Korean NGOs in the area surrounding the Prefecture Hall. Cars were not allowed to enter the area, and the same rule applied to right-wing activists' vehicles. About 150 police officers were on guard, blocking all roads to the Prefecture Hall within 100 meters from the Hall. Japanese right-wing organizations engaged in street broadcast several times. The police officers explained the situation to citizens who headed for the Prefecture Hall, and they also sought understanding of nearby shop owners about the "Takeshima Day" ceremony.