By Kim Young-jin
A Japanese official hinted that Tokyo could review its plan to take the matter of Dokdo, a group of islets in the East Sea at the center of a territorial dispute between Korea and Japan, to international arbitration, Japanese media said Friday.
The reports prompted questions over Tokyo’s stance over the Seoul-controlled islets, with some observers saying that it could be rolling back its rhetoric because the region remains deadlocked in fiery debates over maritime geography.
According to the reports, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Shuji Kira told reporters Thursday that that the country will review its decision to file a petition to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the matter. Japanese media, however, said that there had been no change in the ministry’s position and that Kira may have been expressing his personal view on the matter.
A Seoul official said that it had received no new information regarding Tokyo’s stance.
Observers here said the remarks could suggest that Tokyo, embroiled in a dispute with Beijing over an archipelago in the East China Sea, could delay taking immediate action and see how Seoul responds. Some suggested that this could be taking into account the South Korean presidential election in December.
International opinion is growing that should the case be taken to the ICJ an unlikely scenario because Seoul flatly dismisses the notion as Korea has the stronger case.
Also Thursday, Larry Niksch, a senior associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Seoul would likely come out on top based on its stronger historical documentation.
Niksch, a former expert for the U.S. Congressional Research Service, made the remarks during a forum in Washington, D.C.
Seoul has maintained that Dokdo is Korean territory based on historical and legal grounds, despite Tokyo’s increasing rhetoric following President Lee Myung-bak’s surprise visit to the islets in August. Seoul sees the issue as tied to Japan’s colonial legacy and urges Tokyo to properly address its past behavior.
Korean diplomats point to documents including: historical references, annals, and records that refer to Dokdo including the “Samguksagi” (History of the Three Kingdoms), an official history book written in 1145 A.D. to bolster its case.
The wrangling has taken a toll on bilateral relations: this week Seoul announced it would let an expanded currency swap with Tokyo expire over the row. Japan has seen its auto sales diminish here while Korea has seen a drop in Japanese tourism.
It has also thrown a wrench into trilateral cooperation with the United States, a situation Washington may seek to assuage when its No. 2 diplomat Deputy Secretary William J. Burns arrives in the region this weekend. He is scheduled to arrive in Seoul Monday after two days in Japan.
Washington has called for the two neighbors to deal with the matter diplomatically, refraining from taking sides with either of the two key allies.
"I'm sure those conversations will continue on Deputy Secretary Burns' trip," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.