Japan Meteorological Agency Again Includes Dokdo on Tsunami Map, Sparking Controversy

Following a powerful earthquake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, tsunami warnings have been issued in Japan. Meanwhile, controversy has arisen as the Japan Meteorological Agency has once again marked Dokdo as Japanese territory.

On July 30, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings and advisories for Hokkaido and the Pacific coastal areas of Honshu after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake occurred off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The agency forecasted that a tsunami up to 3 meters high could reach the affected areas and urgently instructed residents in coastal regions to evacuate.

Tsunami advisory map posted by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Japan Meteorological Agency website

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Amid these events, the Japan Meteorological Agency has included Dokdo on its tsunami information map published on its website, causing controversy. The agency uses yellow to indicate expected tsunami heights of 1 meter or less, and light blue for heights of 0.2 meters or less. On the map in question, Dokdo is marked in light blue. The Japan Meteorological Agency describes Dokdo as "Oki Island" on the map, presenting it as if Dokdo belongs to the Oki Islands of Shimane Prefecture and is Japanese territory.

This is not the first time the Japan Meteorological Agency has included Dokdo as Japanese territory. In November of last year, when a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the sea west of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, the agency also marked Dokdo as a tsunami advisory area. The same happened in April of the same year, when a magnitude 3.9 earthquake occurred 96 kilometers north-northeast of Tsushima in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Meanwhile, on July 15, Japan once again claimed Dokdo as its inherent territory in the 2025 defense white paper it released. This baseless claim has been included in Japan's defense white paper for 21 consecutive years. However, the Japanese government, as it did last year, defined South Korea as an important neighboring country and a partner with whom it must cooperate to address various challenges.

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