"You guys will be able to go to Dokdo"… Controversy over Japanese promotional video

Japan National Exhibition Hall YouTube Video
"Takeshima We Have Cultivated and Lived On"
Japanese Government Also Calls It "Japanese Territory" in Diplomatic Bluebook

A national exhibition hall in Japan has sparked controversy after it was revealed that it produced and promoted videos claiming Dokdo as Japanese territory. The videos included assertions that "since Dokdo is Japanese land, future generations of Japan will definitely be able to visit it."

On the 13th, two videos claiming Dokdo as Japanese territory were posted on the YouTube account of the Japan Territory and Sovereignty Exhibition Hall. The problematic videos were posted in March 2021.

[Image source=Official YouTube of Japan Territory and Sovereignty Exhibition Hall]

In the 30-second and 3-minute videos respectively, a child asks his father, "There are places like the Northern Territories or Takeshima (the name Japan uses for Dokdo) that are Japanese but we cannot go there. Why is that?"

After hearing this, the child's mother, who visited the Territory and Sovereignty Exhibition Hall, tells her son, "You cannot go to the land that Japanese people have cultivated and lived on," adding, "But in your generation, you will definitely be able to go." The father also agrees, saying, "You will definitely be able to go."

The videos appear to have been produced with the intent to instill the perception that Dokdo has long been developed and inhabited by Japan. Although Dokdo is not an island that Japan pioneered or sent residents to, it is depicted as if it were Japanese territory. Currently, the two videos have over 200,000 views.

Not only on the YouTube channel but also on the exhibition hall's Korean-language homepage, there is a phrase stating, "The Northern Territories, Takeshima, and Senkaku Islands are Japan's inherent territories and have never been part of any other country."

Japanese Government: "Cannot Accept South Korea's Protest Over 'Dokdo Sovereignty'"

Dokdo panorama. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Japan's baseless claims over Dokdo sovereignty continue. Just the day before, the Japanese government stated that it cannot accept South Korea's protest regarding Japan's 'Diplomatic Bluebook' which describes Dokdo as Japanese territory.

At a press conference that day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said, "Regarding the descriptions related to South Korea in the Diplomatic Bluebook, there was a protest from South Korea concerning the Takeshima issue, and we rebutted it on the grounds that it cannot be accepted."

In the Diplomatic Bluebook, Japan claims, "Takeshima is clearly Japan's inherent territory both historically and under international law," and asserts, "South Korea continues illegal occupation by stationing a coast guard detachment." Similar content was repeated in last year's Diplomatic Bluebook as well.

In response, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a spokesperson's statement saying, "We strongly protest Japan's repeated unjust claims of sovereignty over Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territory historically, geographically, and under international law, through the Diplomatic Bluebook, and urge immediate withdrawal of such claims."

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