South Korea-Japan Relations Deteriorate Amid New Military Exercises Near Disputed Islands | South Korea.
South Korea Annual military exercises have begun near two remote islands also claimed by Japan, as a long-running territorial dispute threatens to derail preparations. Tokyo Olympics.
Drills near the Dokdo Islands, known as Takeshima in Japan – It began days after a meeting between heads of state on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Cornwall was canceled due to Japan’s objections to the exercises.
Earlier this month, South Korea filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after Tokyo 2020 organizers identified the islands as Japanese on an online map showing the route of the Olympic torch relay.
The annual military exercises begin near Takeshima / Dokdo. This is expected to strain relations already strained by recent disagreements over the countries. History of the bitter war.
Despite their status as important allies of the United States and a common interest in the denuclearization of North Korea, Tokyo and Seoul are at odds over the use of Japan. Sexual slavery in wartime And the workers who were forced to work in their mines and factories before and during World War II.
The South Korean Defense Ministry said the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard will join the exercises, which will be conducted primarily at sea with minimal contact between forces due to coronavirus concerns.
The Yonhap news agency said an alleged meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was canceled last weekend after Suga opposed the exercises.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Moon planned to tell Suga of his wish to attend the Olympic opening ceremony on July 23 in a public display in support of the controversial games. The visit will also be an opportunity for the two men to have their first conversations.
Moon said that he was disappointed that he did not meet Suga during G7. My first meeting with Prime Minister Suga was a precious opportunity. [for] A new beginning in the relationship between South Korea and Japan, but I am sorry that it could not turn into a reunion, “he said in a Facebook post.
Japanese officials said the meeting was canceled due to scheduling problems.
An official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul did not confirm whether the exercises were the reason for the cancellation, saying only that “the exercises are held regularly every year for the purpose of defending our territory,” according to Reuters.
Exercises around the small islands controlled by South Korea have been held twice a year since 1986, prompting repeated protests from Japan, which insists they are “inherently Japanese,” a claim it says is backed by international law.
“The exercises are unacceptable and very unfortunate,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said on Tuesday. “We have protested to the South Korean government and called for it to stop.”
Kato added that “there is no truth” in the reports that Moon had planned to visit Tokyo during the Olympics.
Japan rejected South Korea’s demand to amend the map of the Olympics, prompting some South Korean lawmakers to boycott the games.
The islands, also known as Liancourt Rocks after the French whaling ship that nearly sank there in 1849, lie 140 miles (225 kilometers) off the east coast of South Korea.
The territory is guarded by a small police detachment; Her only resident is 83-year-old Kim Shin Yeol, who lived there with her husband Kim Sung Do until her death in 2018.
