Japan Ministry of Defense Publishes Children's Defense White Paper Featuring Map Claiming Dokdo as Japanese Territory... Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Strongly Protests"

The photo shows the cover of the 'First Defense White Paper.' [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Japan's provocations over Dokdo through its Defense White Paper have continued for 17 years since 2005, and this time, controversy has arisen as the Defense White Paper published for children and adolescents marked Dokdo as its own territory. This is the first time Japan has published a Defense White Paper for children. In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly protested to Japan, stating, "Dokdo is our inherent territory."

On the 16th, Japan's Ministry of Defense released a 30-page "first-ever Defense White Paper" aimed at upper elementary school students and older youth readers. Since the first publication in 1970 and annual releases starting in 1976, this is the first time the Japanese Ministry of Defense has published a Defense White Paper targeting children as readers.

The White Paper is said to have been condensed from the 2021 edition released on the 13th of last month to make it easier for young readers to understand.

The photo shows a part of the 'First Defense White Paper.' On the map illustrating the surveillance status of maritime and airspace boundaries around Japan, Dokdo (marked with a red circle) is labeled as Takeshima (竹島, the name Japan claims for Dokdo). [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Defense White Paper for children included content such as, "Among the many countries in the Indo-Pacific region where Japan is located, there are some that do not share the values of freedom and democracy that we cherish."

Additionally, the White Paper mentioned the Senkaku Islands (Chinese name Diaoyu Islands) and the four Kuril Islands (Japanese name Northern Territories), with which Japan has territorial disputes with China and Russia, respectively, but did not specifically mention Dokdo. However, on a map showing the boundary monitoring situation of Japan's surrounding international waters, Dokdo was marked as Japanese territory.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the same day, "Dokdo is our inherent territory historically, geographically, and under international law, and in light of our position, we strongly protested that the content of the White Paper is absolutely unacceptable and demanded the immediate removal of the material."

Meanwhile, Japan also sparked controversy by including claims to Dokdo's sovereignty in the 2021 Defense White Paper released last month. Through that White Paper, Japan claimed, "The territorial issues of the Northern Territories (the four Kuril Islands), which are our country's inherent territory, and Takeshima (the name Japan uses for Dokdo) remain unresolved." Furthermore, Takeshima was marked in place of Dokdo on maps showing the locations of Self-Defense Forces units.

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