Japan posts `Dokdo is Japanese territory` on YouTube

The Japanese government has made a video containing its sovereignty claim for Dokdo islets and spread it on the Internet. In response, the Korean government issued a statement demanding "immediate deletion" and made a strong protest.

Japan`s Foreign Affairs Ministry posted a 1.27 minute video titled "A video on Takeshima (Japanese word for Dokdo)" in Japanese on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXg-NGVKuWI) on October 16. The narrator starts with "Do you know Takeshima?" and shows documents advantageous to Japan as evidence, thus claiming its sovereignty right on Dokdo. The video emphasizes that Japan established Dokdo sovereignty right in the 17th century and reconfirmed it through a decision at cabinet meeting in 1905. When Japan, as a defeated country, signed San Francisco Peace Treaty with the victorious nation U.S. in 1951, Takeshima was not included in the islands that Japan gave up, the video also stressed.

According to NHK on Wednesday, the Japanese government will translate the video transcript into 10 languages including Korean and upload them online.

Cho Tae-young, spokesman at Korea`s Foreign Affairs Ministry also issued a statement Wednesday, saying, "We strongly protest to the Japanese government in attempting to damage Dokdo sovereignty right. We rigorously demand immediate deletion of the video." The ministry called in Takashi Kurai, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy to Korea, to protest and delivered a diplomatic document containing the Korean government`s protest.