"Making Dokdo Goods Won't Make It Japanese Land"... Anger Over 'Takeshima Rice'

Following “Takeshima Curry” and Salt

“Foolish Behavior... Must Face History Directly”

It has been reported that rice labeled as “Takeshima” (the name used by Japan to refer to Dokdo) is being distributed in Shimane Prefecture, Japan.

Salt product labeled with "Takeshima Rice" and "Takeshima" as if it were Japanese territory. Screenshot from Facebook of Professor Seo Kyungduk at Sungshin Women's University

On the 29th, Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University released a photo submitted to him by a citizen through social network services (SNS), remarking, “Now even ‘Takeshima Rice’ has appeared.”

The photo released by Professor Seo shows a 2kg sack of rice with large inscriptions reading “Takeshima of Japan” and “Rice from Shimane Prefecture.” Alongside the “specially cultivated rice” label, it also contains the statement, “Takeshima in Oki District, Shimane Prefecture, is an inherent territory of our country (Japan).” It is presumed that this rice was previously sold at related events organized by Shimane Prefecture. However, it remains unconfirmed whether the rice is currently available for regular sale at ordinary supermarkets.

Takeshima Curry sold at the underground cafeteria of Shimane Prefectural Office, Japan. Photo captured from Professor Seokyeongduck's Facebook of Sungshin Women's University.

He explained, “Last April, salt labeled with ‘Takeshima’ was sold to domestic and foreign tourists at Yonago Airport, Shimane Prefecture’s gateway, which caused controversy. In particular, every year on February 22nd to coincide with ‘Takeshima Day’ events, ‘Takeshima Curry’ is sold at the Shimane Prefectural Office cafeteria, and this practice has received severe criticism.”

On the salt packaging, Dokdo is labeled as '竹島' (Takeshima), and its distance from Oki Island is described as 157km. The words “Oki National Park” are highlighted in large orange letters, and the packaging displays a map making it appear as if Dokdo is part of a Japanese national park. At that time, Professor Seo criticized, “It truly crossed the line to openly sell products in airports frequented by many foreigners that mark Dokdo as Japanese territory.”

In January, there was also significant controversy when cups inscribed with Dokdo were sold at a shop inside the Oki Island passenger terminal, a place visited by many tourists.

Professor Seo emphasized, “This is truly foolish behavior. No matter how many kinds of goods are produced, Dokdo will not become Japanese territory,” and added, “Shimane Prefecture must face history directly and stop making unreasonable territorial claims about Dokdo.”

Meanwhile, on August 4th, the Japanese government repeated its claim to sovereignty over Dokdo for the 22nd consecutive year in this year’s defense white paper. It maintained its usual stance by labeling Dokdo as Japanese territory called “Takeshima” and designating the surrounding waters as its own territorial sea. As with last year, a map entitled “The Security Environment Surrounding Our Country” marked the Dokdo area as “Territorial issues surrounding Takeshima.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.