Tokyo Protests to Seoul Over South Korean Politicians’ Visit to Disputed Islands

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Japan has lodged a protest with South Korea after opposition politicians from the neighboring East Asian nation visited disputed Takeshima Islands (also known as Dokdo Islands or the Liancourt Rocks), Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday.

On Monday, a group of South Korean politicians, led by the leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, Cho Kuk, disembarked on the islands which Japan considers its territory.

"We have stated not to land in Takeshima, however, there has been a representative of the opposition party from South Korea who landed in Takeshima … Under international law, it is invasion of Japanese territory and therefore we cannot accept it. And it is a regretful situation. And also we have protested to the South Korean government," Hayashi told a regular press conference.

The Liancourt Rocks — called Dokdo Islands by Seoul and Takeshima Islands by Tokyo — lie almost equidistant from Japan and South Korea, with the latter maintaining a small police force there. For decades, the islands have been a bone of contention, with both sides claiming long-standing historical ties to the archipelago, which is believed to be rich in natural resources.

After World War II, the islands became Korean, though Japan considers it illegal occupation and administratively includes the islands in the Shimane Prefecture. Meanwhile, Japan invites Korea to submit the issue of the islands to the International Court of Justice, though South Korea believes there is no dispute over the Takeshima Islands, since they are Korean territory historically, geographically and legally.