Japan’s ignorance about Dokdo threatens alliance

The resolution of the Dokdo issue plays a prominent role in promoting peace in Asia. Dokdo, nestled within the East Sea should be seen as more than just a set of islets.

The richly colored water surrounding the islets provides ample fishing and natural resources.

Kyndra Love

Untapped resources including petroleum and gas hydrates, a “critical source of energy” tens of times greater than the existing sources of natural gas, can be found under Dokdo’s waters.

Korea estimates that more than 1,000 species of animals and plants inhabit the islets, rocks and reefs and 13 floristically rare and endangered plants have been designated as specially protected inhabitants of Dokdo.

Dokdo, by virtue of its position in the East Sea, is also viewed as a valuable military and commercial asset.

The current sovereignty of Dokdo lies with the Korean government, however both Seoul and Tokyo claim historical sovereignty over the island.

Korea has repeatedly rebuffed Japan’s suggestion that the Dokdo issue should be taken to the International Court of Justice. Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan has said, “Our position is that there should exist no territorial disputes over Dokdo because Dokdo is our territory.”

This conflict is not only about the ownership of a mass of rocks in the middle of the East Sea but runs much deeper throughout the veins of history. For a span of almost 4,000 years Korea and Japan have shared international relations, sometimes friendly at other times disagreeable.

Unfortunately the last 100 years were a time of extreme tension and conflict between the two countries, especially because Korea was under the occupation by Japan from 1910-45.

Since the end of World War II and its surrender in 1945, Japan has not officially issued what Korea considers to be a sincere apology. Tensions between the countries have never been fully resolved and the islands disputed today are shards of a chapter in history which Korea does not want to revisit.

As tensions have flared between Korea and Japan over these territorial claims, relations have also spiraled downward dramatically.

The biggest concern for the United States is the possible repercussions that will develop due to this dispute.

Japan and Korea both have mutual alliances with the United States, both economically and militarily. Strengthening ties between Japan and Korea would be synergistic for both countries and would ultimately bring greater strength to their alliances.

The United States hopes that Japan and Korea will increase cooperation so that there would in effect be a trilateral alliance, rather than two bilateral ones. Particularly in the economic sector, the United States hopes to stimulate more opportunities for growth. Yet recent relations have deteriorated to such an extent that Japanese officials have even talked about economic reprisals, such as not renewing a currency swap deal with Korea and not buying South Korean bonds.

With these kinds of threats it may only be a matter of time before effects are seen in other areas.

Washington is also worried that negative relations between Korea and Japan may create instability in trade. Trade with these two countries provides a significant amount of revenue for the U.S. economy and a decrease in investment would be a formidable problem.

America values the current relationship it has with both Korea and Japan and as such, it is difficult to intervene in this matter. It is understandable how this conflict has become such a threatening issue when applied in historical context and it seems as though a resolution will not be possible until Japan is willing to step back and acknowledge the past. <The Korea Times/Kyndra Love>