Japan Repeats 'Sovereignty Over Dokdo' Claim, Dampening Korea-Japan Relations
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Expected to Strongly Protest and Summon Senior Official from Japanese Embassy
The Japanese government has once again claimed that Dokdo is "Japan's inherent territory" this year. Critics say this undermines the efforts by the leaders of South Korea and Japan to foster amicable bilateral relations through "shuttle diplomacy."
The Japanese government is expected to adopt the "2026 Defense White Paper" containing these claims as early as August 4, 2026. If the white paper is released, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is likely to immediately issue a strong protest. Based on precedent, there is also a possibility that Chujo Kazuo, Minister at the Japanese Embassy in South Korea, may be summoned.
The Japanese government's claims regarding Dokdo have been repeated for the 22nd consecutive year since they were first included in the defense white paper in 2005. The South Korean government's response has also been essentially scripted and unchanged each year. Although since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyoung administration, the leaders of South Korea and Japan have fostered stronger ties through "shuttle diplomacy" than ever before, in reality, both countries have made no progress whatsoever on sensitive historical issues between them.
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Choi Eunmi, Senior Research Fellow (Ph.D.) at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said, "Given the current international situation, it is desirable for South Korea and Japan to achieve cooperative results in areas such as energy and supply chains." She added, "However, unresolved historical issues between the two countries remain." She went on, "Above all, the South Korean government needs to proactively raise its voice and draw attention to the issue, but so far, there has been no concrete action in this regard," expressing concern that "these historical issues between South Korea and Japan may be forgotten."
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