ID :
14269
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 23:54
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/14269
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Japan raps S. Korean PM's Takeshima visit, but calls for calm
TOKYO, July 29 Kyodo - Japan's top government spokesman on Tuesday criticized South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung Soo's visit to a pair of disputed islets in the Sea of Japan as inappropriate, but repeated Tokyo's call for a coolheaded response.
While acknowledging differences over the sovereignty of the South Korean-held islets, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said, ''The basic stance is for both sides to handle this in a calm manner in order to build a new age for Japan-South Korea relations, and I don't think such action to stir up the differences is very appropriate.''Machimura made the remarks at a news conference after Han made a historic visit, the first by a South Korean prime minister, to the islets known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea earlier Tuesday as Seoul sought to cement its hold over them amid renewed claims from Tokyo recently.
Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama at the Japanese Foreign Ministry also called for calm, saying, ''The Japanese government believes it is undesirable for Japan-South Korea relations to be strained as a result of this issue.''''No matter what, it is extremely important for both sides to respond in a level-headed manner. We will continue to handle this appropriately,'' Kodama said in response to reporters' questions, but declined to give details.
Han's visit, which included unveiling a monument with an inscription declaring the islets as South Korean territory, came after Japan's education ministry decided earlier this month to include a claim to sovereignty over the islets for the first time in a teaching guideline for junior high schools.
South Korea has also protested to Washington after it was found that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has recently revised its description of the disputed territory from being under South Korea's control to an area of ''undesignated sovereignty.''''One can imagine that the action by the South Korean prime minister would be in response to the fact that some sort of change has been introduced by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names,'' Japanese Foreign Ministry Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi said in a separate news conference.
Ownership of Takeshima, which includes surrounding reefs and covers a total area of 210,000 square meters, has been the subject of a long-standing dispute between the two neighbors.
While acknowledging differences over the sovereignty of the South Korean-held islets, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said, ''The basic stance is for both sides to handle this in a calm manner in order to build a new age for Japan-South Korea relations, and I don't think such action to stir up the differences is very appropriate.''Machimura made the remarks at a news conference after Han made a historic visit, the first by a South Korean prime minister, to the islets known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea earlier Tuesday as Seoul sought to cement its hold over them amid renewed claims from Tokyo recently.
Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama at the Japanese Foreign Ministry also called for calm, saying, ''The Japanese government believes it is undesirable for Japan-South Korea relations to be strained as a result of this issue.''''No matter what, it is extremely important for both sides to respond in a level-headed manner. We will continue to handle this appropriately,'' Kodama said in response to reporters' questions, but declined to give details.
Han's visit, which included unveiling a monument with an inscription declaring the islets as South Korean territory, came after Japan's education ministry decided earlier this month to include a claim to sovereignty over the islets for the first time in a teaching guideline for junior high schools.
South Korea has also protested to Washington after it was found that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has recently revised its description of the disputed territory from being under South Korea's control to an area of ''undesignated sovereignty.''''One can imagine that the action by the South Korean prime minister would be in response to the fact that some sort of change has been introduced by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names,'' Japanese Foreign Ministry Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi said in a separate news conference.
Ownership of Takeshima, which includes surrounding reefs and covers a total area of 210,000 square meters, has been the subject of a long-standing dispute between the two neighbors.
