Gyeongbuk Province Issues 'Condemnation Statement' on Japan's 17th Consecutive Year of Dokdo Historical Distortion in Defense White Paper

The 2021 edition of Japan's Defense White Paper shows a map depicting the surveillance status of maritime and airspace areas around Japan, where Dokdo (black circle) is labeled as Takeshima (竹島, the name Japan claims for Dokdo). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] On the 13th, Gyeongbuk Province issued an urgent statement strongly condemning Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi’s 2021 Defense White Paper report to the Cabinet, in which the Japanese government unjustly claims sovereignty over Dokdo.

The 2021 Japanese Defense White Paper once again states that "the territorial issues of the Northern Territories and Dokdo, which are Japan’s inherent territories, still remain unresolved."

In the statement issued that day, Gyeongbuk Province protested against the territorial provocation that has continued for 17 years in the Japanese Defense White Paper claiming "Dokdo is Japan’s inherent territory" and urged the immediate withdrawal of these unjust claims.

It further declared, "We reaffirm once again that Dokdo is clearly the inherent territory of the Republic of Korea from historical, geographical, and international law perspectives. We will firmly respond together with 3 million residents to any provocation by Japan regarding Dokdo."

Regarding the continuous historical distortion claims through Japanese textbooks, diplomatic bluebooks, and defense white papers, it strongly warned, "This is a reckless territorial invasion act aiming for future territorial disputes," and emphasized, "The Japanese government should move toward a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship through reflection on past invasions and sincere apologies."

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