ID :
198511
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 13:01
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/198511
The shortlink copeid
(Yonhap Editorial) Tokyo should be held fully responsible for lawmakers' provocative visit
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- Defying the strong warnings and opposition of the South Korean government and its people, three extreme right-wing Japanese lawmakers dared to arrive in South Korea on Monday on an apparent mission to bolster Japan's claims to South Korea's Dokdo islets.
Yoshitaka Shindo, Tomomi Inada and Masahisa Sato, all from Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party, were denied entry by South Korean immigration officials at Gimpo International Airport. The three announced last week that they would visit the South Korean island of Ulleung, located about 90 kilometers west of Dokdo in the East Sea, during a four-day trip here. The move sparked outrage in South Korea as it is viewed as another attempt by Japan to lay claim to the set of rocky outcroppings.
South Korea urged the Japanese government and its opposition party through diplomatic channels to persuade the lawmakers to give up their plan of pressing ahead with their visit to Ulleung Island and warned, "If diplomatic efforts fail and the Japanese lawmakers arrive at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, South Korea will have no choice but to slap an entry ban on them."
Angry South Korean civic groups issued harsh warnings against the Japanese politicians' planned trip.
The right-wing Japanese politicians clearly want to visit Ulleung Island because they want to make their claims to nearby Dokdo. In hopes of arousing angry retaliation among South Korean people, they seek to turn Dokdo into an international issue. They may intend to incite a physical confrontation with South Korean protesters that will be covered by international news media.
In a related move, nationalistic Japanese professor Shimojo Masao was denied entry at Incheon International Airport while attempting to enter the country Sunday night to join the Japanese lawmakers.
The Japanese lawmakers even boasted they would make another attempt to enter South Korea. "If our entry is denied, we will visit once again," Shindo said, warning that the entry ban may evolve into a diplomatic row between the nations.
The Japanese lawmakers' provocation will likely bring forth a cooling of Seoul-Tokyo relations for a considerable time.
The Japanese government and political parties have not responded to Seoul's call to stop the lawmakers' visit.
We would like to stress that Japan should realize immediately that bilateral relations will have to regress unless it rebukes its anachronistic, extreme individuals. Tokyo should be held fully responsible for the impact of its lawmakers' provocative visit.
We also hope that the Japanese people and those among their leadership act with good judgment and reason.
The Japanese lawmakers' childish but sly antics run counter to the Tokyo government's recent friendly gestures in which Prime Minister Naoto Kan acknowledged Japan's forcible annexation of Korea a century ago and Tokyo agreed to return some looted Korean cultural assets.
Yoshitaka Shindo, Tomomi Inada and Masahisa Sato, all from Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party, were denied entry by South Korean immigration officials at Gimpo International Airport. The three announced last week that they would visit the South Korean island of Ulleung, located about 90 kilometers west of Dokdo in the East Sea, during a four-day trip here. The move sparked outrage in South Korea as it is viewed as another attempt by Japan to lay claim to the set of rocky outcroppings.
South Korea urged the Japanese government and its opposition party through diplomatic channels to persuade the lawmakers to give up their plan of pressing ahead with their visit to Ulleung Island and warned, "If diplomatic efforts fail and the Japanese lawmakers arrive at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, South Korea will have no choice but to slap an entry ban on them."
Angry South Korean civic groups issued harsh warnings against the Japanese politicians' planned trip.
The right-wing Japanese politicians clearly want to visit Ulleung Island because they want to make their claims to nearby Dokdo. In hopes of arousing angry retaliation among South Korean people, they seek to turn Dokdo into an international issue. They may intend to incite a physical confrontation with South Korean protesters that will be covered by international news media.
In a related move, nationalistic Japanese professor Shimojo Masao was denied entry at Incheon International Airport while attempting to enter the country Sunday night to join the Japanese lawmakers.
The Japanese lawmakers even boasted they would make another attempt to enter South Korea. "If our entry is denied, we will visit once again," Shindo said, warning that the entry ban may evolve into a diplomatic row between the nations.
The Japanese lawmakers' provocation will likely bring forth a cooling of Seoul-Tokyo relations for a considerable time.
The Japanese government and political parties have not responded to Seoul's call to stop the lawmakers' visit.
We would like to stress that Japan should realize immediately that bilateral relations will have to regress unless it rebukes its anachronistic, extreme individuals. Tokyo should be held fully responsible for the impact of its lawmakers' provocative visit.
We also hope that the Japanese people and those among their leadership act with good judgment and reason.
The Japanese lawmakers' childish but sly antics run counter to the Tokyo government's recent friendly gestures in which Prime Minister Naoto Kan acknowledged Japan's forcible annexation of Korea a century ago and Tokyo agreed to return some looted Korean cultural assets.
