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It is difficult to retake territory once it has been occupied, even if the injustice of that occupation is proclaimed. Takeshima Day should be a day to face this reality and reaffirm the importance of protecting territory and sovereignty.
A memorial ceremony for Takeshima Day, organized by Shimane Prefecture and others, was held in Matsue on Saturday, Feb. 22. The event is held on the day that the prefecture incorporated the Takeshima Islands in 1905, based on a Cabinet decision by the Meiji government.
It has been 20 years since Shimane Prefecture designated Feb. 22 as Takeshima Day in a prefectural ordinance in 2005.
During this time, the prefectural government has continued to carry out activities to reinforce Japan’s claim to the islands through documentary research. In addition, all public elementary and junior high schools in the prefecture use special supplementary teaching materials to study the Takeshima issue. The prefecture’s stance of steadily working to rouse public opinion is worthy of respect.
Japan established its territorial rights to Takeshima in the middle of the 17th century at the latest. During the negotiations for the San Francisco Peace Treaty after World War II, South Korea insisted that Takeshima be included in the areas Japan would abandon, but the United States did not accept this, and it was confirmed that Takeshima was Japanese territory.
However, just before the peace treaty came into effect in 1952, South Korea unilaterally established the so-called Syngman Rhee Line in the surrounding waters, and designated Takeshima as South Korean territory. Since 1954, South Korea has stationed a coast guard unit on the islands.
The fact that South Korea has continued to illegally occupy the islands for over 70 years, violating Japanese sovereignty, is absolutely unacceptable.
To resolve the territorial rights issue over Takeshima, the government has proposed three times that South Korea bring a case over the matter to the International Court of Justice.
The International Court of Justice is set up in such a way that it cannot begin proceedings unless both the countries concerned agree. South Korea has refused on all three occasions, so a case has yet to be brought to the court. The government needs to continue to make persistent efforts to persuade South Korea to accept such a case.
Regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the United States and Russia have begun negotiations on a ceasefire without the involvement of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is demanding the return of all the territory that has been taken, but the future of the negotiations is uncertain.
In the areas surrounding Japan, China is unilaterally claiming its territorial rights to the Senkaku Islands and repeatedly intruding into Japan’s territorial waters around the islands. Although a buoy that had been placed near the Senkakus has been removed, a buoy placed off Yonaguni Island remains in place. A Chinese Navy aircraft carrier frequently passes through the Miyako Strait.
If Japan is caught off guard and the Nansei Islands and remote islands come under the effective control of China, Japan’s sovereignty over those islands could be taken away.
The Japan Coast Guard and the Self-Defense Forces should do their utmost in their vigilance and surveillance activities. While the government obviously should continue to demand the removal of the buoy, it must clearly show its determination both at home and abroad to protect its territorial lands and waters.
