As Japan is moving to the right, its government has recently undertaken various provocative attempts to make Dokdo a disputed territory: Shimane Prefecture designated Takeshima Day (Japan calls the island Takeshima); Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology distorted descriptions of Dokdo in history textbooks; and Japan conducted a maritime survey within the Korean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) near the island.

These Japanese attempts to seize Dokdo are seriously problematic because they deny the historical facts and are based on facts distorted to justify Japan’s invasion of Korea, the current situation is even more problematic and has reawakened the painful memories of Japan’s invasion in our people.

Japan was hesitant about seizing Dokdo until the peak of the Russo-Japanese War in September 1904. In fact, when a fisherman named Nakai Yozaburo submitted his "Request for Territorial Incorporation of Liancourt Island (Dokdo) and Its Lease," Secretary Inoue of the Ministry of Home Affairs rejected it.

The reason he gave was that “If we incorporate a worthless piece of rock which is suspected of being Korean territory, many foreign countries with their eyes on us will become greatly suspicious that we intend to annex Joseon.”

The decision exactly reflected the Meiji government’s stance that “Dokdo is Korean territory.”

Since the plan to invade Joseon was first proposed by Yoshida Shoin in 1856, it was often promoted by those advocating the invasion of Joseon, including Kido Takayoshi and Saigo Takamori. Japan took advantage of the Russo-Japanese War to put the plan into action.

On February 23, 1904 immediately after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan forced the signing of the Korea-Japan Protocol (Haniluijeongseo), thereby laying the foundation to establish military bases on Korean land, and in September and November of that year, Japan dispatched first the warship Nikata-maru then the Tsushima-maru to assess the possibility of constructing watchtowers on Dokdo. However, the building of such towers on Dokdo was delayed due to harsh winter weather and difficulties of carrying out a mission.

As the Russo-Japanese War escalated, the forced incorporation of Dokdo was quickly carried out on January 28, 1905. Japan made the decision to name the island Takeshima and placed it under Shimane Prefecture, in essence approving the Dokdo-related petition it had previously rejected.

Meanwhile, on May 28, 1905, the Russian Baltic Fleet that had come through the Indian Ocean was defeated by the Japanese navy which had chosen the waters around Ulleungdo as the site of the last decisive battle. Japan finally defeated Russia near Dokdo.

Japan, which fully recognized the strategic value of Dokdo after that naval battle, hurried to build a watchtower on the island in August of that year. Yet when that war ended on Oct. 15, much earlier than expected thanks to the arbitration by the United States, the watchtower on Dokdo had lost its purpose and was dismantled on Oct. 24 that same year. However, in the Japanese press at the time, Dokdo was presented, along with photos, as the memorial site for the naval victory.

Immediately after the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan forced the signing of the Protectorate Treaty (in November 1905), thereby divesting the Great Han Empire of its authority over diplomatic affairs and placing the country in a position where it was unable to resist annexation. It is a well-known fact that the Japanese invasion of the Korean peninsula was concluded with the Treaty of Annexation (August 1910) following the Korea-Japan Third Agreement (July 1907). The Japanese Cabinet’s decision to incorporate Dokdo in 1905 was a prelude to Japan’s full-scale invasion of the Korean peninsula.

After the World War Ⅱ, Dokdo was clearly excluded from Japan’s jurisdiction by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers’ instructions (SCAPIN No. 677, SCAPIN No. 1033). With the 1945 liberation of Korea, Dokdo along with other islands was returned to the Republic of Korea as Korean territory.

However, the flame of Japan’s aggressive ambition to seize Dokdo continued to burn. In 1947, Japan published a book asserting that Dokdo was Japanese territory and encouraged the U.S. State Department to use the book as a reference, all the while actively lobbying to designate Dokdo as Japanese territory in the Treaty of Peace with Japan through the pro-Japanese figure W. J. Sebald, only to fail when facing opposition from other allied countries. Further, Japan has continued to clamor for possession of Dokdo at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Dokdo is neither a legal issue that can be resolved by the ICJ, nor a subject to be tried before the Court since it is a historical matter related to Imperial Japan’s invasion of the Korean peninsula.

Japan continues to insist that Dokdo is its rightful territory won during its war of imperialism, more specifically that it retains territorial rights to its former colony. This claim is tantamount to a denial of Korea’s liberation and independence.

For Japan to insist upon its ownership of Dokdo revives the painful memories of the past among the people of Korea, the nation closest to it both historically and geographically, and thus it will be remembered as an imperialist nation only trying to satisfy its own greed.

This is quite unfortunate for Japan. We hope to cooperate with Japan to bring lasting peace and prosperity to Northeast Asia in the 21st century based on the accurate historical understanding. To this end, Japan should refrain from making false claims with regard to Dokdo. We will take active and decisive measures against Japan’s sovereignty claim over Dokdo by making use of all available means.