Japanese Government Claims 'Dokdo is Japanese Territory' Through Official Diplomatic White Paper (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Japanese government reiterated its claim that "Dokdo is Japanese territory" in the Diplomatic Bluebook, the first official document released since the inauguration of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's cabinet in September last year. It also emphasized its existing stance that the South Korean government must take responsibility for resolving issues related to compensation for comfort women and forced labor victims.

On the 27th, at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Suga, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reported on the 2021 edition of the Diplomatic Bluebook. The Diplomatic Bluebook is an official document that records the analysis of international affairs and Japan's overall diplomatic activities over the past year.

In this year's Diplomatic Bluebook, Japan again asserted the unfounded claim that Dokdo is "Japan's inherent territory."

During the administration of Shinzo Abe, Suga's predecessor, the Japanese government had added the phrase "illegal occupation by Korea" in the 2018 edition.

Regarding the naming and designation of the East Sea, Japan also claimed that the only internationally established name is the "Sea of Japan."

While describing South Korea as an "important neighboring country," Japan did not soften its stance on current issues such as the comfort women problem and rulings on forced labor compensation.

In particular, Japan expressed "deep regret" over the Seoul Central District Court ruling on January 8 this year, which recognized the Japanese government's compensation responsibility to comfort women victims. It reiterated its claim that the South Korean government must take responsibility for resolving the issue, similar to the 2018 South Korean Supreme Court ruling ordering Japanese wartime companies to compensate forced labor victims.

The Suga cabinet, which inherits the diplomatic line of the Abe administration, maintains the position that a series of historical issues, including comfort women and forced labor victims, were all resolved by the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement and the 2015 Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers' "Comfort Women Agreement."

The Japanese government has argued that "the South Korean judiciary's rulings denying this violate international law," a stance that was fully reflected in this year's Diplomatic Bluebook.

This year's Diplomatic Bluebook also explains that the Japanese government aims for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through cooperation with the international community, including the United States and South Korea, and regards resolving the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea as "the most important task."

Meanwhile, this year's Diplomatic Bluebook notably strengthened expressions countering China, including mentioning human rights issues in China.

It defined China's military buildup and active maritime activities in the East and South China Seas as "strong security concerns for the region including Japan and the international community," and significantly increased related explanations by expressing "concern" over human rights situations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which were barely mentioned in last year's edition.

Regarding the confrontation between the United States and China, it revealed the perception that "the balance of power in the international community is undergoing significant change."

While emphasizing the outcome of the summit between Prime Minister Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden held at the White House on the 16th (local time), which "strengthened the U.S.-Japan alliance," it did not mention the importance of "peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait" included in the joint statement after the summit.

Kyodo News analyzed this as "likely considering China's backlash."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.