ID :
184423
Wed, 05/25/2011 - 19:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/184423
The shortlink copeid
Japan files protest with S. Korea over Takeshima, Kunashiri visits
TOKYO, May 25 Kyodo - Japan lodged a protest Wednesday with South Korea over a visit by a South Korean minister to disputed islets earlier in the day as well as a trip by some South Korean opposition lawmakers Tuesday to one of four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.
Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto summoned South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kwon Chul Hyun and conveyed his regret over the two separate visits, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
South Korean government authorities confirmed Wednesday that Gender Equality and Family Minister Paik Hee Young traveled to the South Korean-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan, which are known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.
Matsumoto said Paik's visit is ''totally unacceptable'' in view of Japan's territorial claim and strongly urged Kwon that Seoul prevent further ministerial visits to the islets.
The Japanese minister also said Tokyo cannot accept the three lawmakers' trip to Kunashiri Island off Hokkaido as they obtained Russian visas to visit the area, virtually admitting Moscow's control over the island.
Matsumoto said such an act ''hurts the feelings of the Japanese'' and requested that Seoul ''take appropriate measures'' to stop similar visits to the disputed island.
Kwon claimed South Korea's sovereignty over the contested isles in the Sea of Japan and said that the South Korean government ''has nothing to do with'' the opposition lawmakers' trip to Kunashiri, according to the ministry.
The Russian-administered islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils, were seized by the Soviet Union after Japan's surrender in World War II in 1945, and the dispute over them has prevented the two nations from signing a postwar peace treaty.
Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto summoned South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kwon Chul Hyun and conveyed his regret over the two separate visits, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
South Korean government authorities confirmed Wednesday that Gender Equality and Family Minister Paik Hee Young traveled to the South Korean-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan, which are known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.
Matsumoto said Paik's visit is ''totally unacceptable'' in view of Japan's territorial claim and strongly urged Kwon that Seoul prevent further ministerial visits to the islets.
The Japanese minister also said Tokyo cannot accept the three lawmakers' trip to Kunashiri Island off Hokkaido as they obtained Russian visas to visit the area, virtually admitting Moscow's control over the island.
Matsumoto said such an act ''hurts the feelings of the Japanese'' and requested that Seoul ''take appropriate measures'' to stop similar visits to the disputed island.
Kwon claimed South Korea's sovereignty over the contested isles in the Sea of Japan and said that the South Korean government ''has nothing to do with'' the opposition lawmakers' trip to Kunashiri, according to the ministry.
The Russian-administered islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils, were seized by the Soviet Union after Japan's surrender in World War II in 1945, and the dispute over them has prevented the two nations from signing a postwar peace treaty.
