TOKYO, Japan – Japan on Friday, August 10, recalled its ambassador to South Korea in protest of the visit by President Lee Myung-Bak to islands claimed by Tokyo and Seoul.
“I don’t know when he will go back to South Korea,” Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told reporters, adding he would be meeting the envoy early Saturday morning for discussions on how to deal with the issue, including what “other measures” Japan could take.
The recall came as Gemba summoned the South Korean ambassador to make known Japan’s disquiet at the visit to islands known in Japanese as Takeshima and as Dokdo in Korean.
Gemba said the Seoul-controlled islands, which lie in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) were “Japan’s territory, both historically and in terms of international law.”
“President Lee’s visit has no bearing on Japan’s position.
“I strongly protested to the ambassador and I told him that our countries’ leaders have agreed we should manage relations from a wider perspective and this action is antithetical to that position.
“I told him I have no understanding of why President Lee visited the islands at this time,” said Gemba. – Agence France-Presse
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