Japan continues to make egregious claims over the sovereignty of Korea's easternmost island of Dokdo.<br />In fact, Tokyo appears to be upping the ante with a slew of ceremonies and official events falsely claiming the island belongs to Japan.<br />The South Korean government has lodged an official complaint with Tokyo.<br />Park Jong-hong has the details. <br /> A small city in Japan's Shimane Prefecture has been holding the so-called Takeshima Day ceremony every year since 2006 and this year was no exception.<br />Takeshima is Japan's name for Dokdo.<br />With a population of around 200-thousand people, Matsue city celebrates the day to declare territorial sovereignty over Korea's easternmost island based on the unilateral inclusion of the island by Japan as a local administrative district in 1905.<br />For six years running, Tokyo has dispatched a senior level government official to the event.<br /><br /> "The Japanese government plans to resolve the Dokdo issue cool-headedly and peacefully under international law."<br /><br />Outside the event hall, Korean community members staged a protest.<br />At one point, a group of right-wing Japanese counter-protesters flocked to the site,... almost leading to a physical clash.<br />Seoul denounced Tokyo for sending a senior government official to the local event.<br /><br /> "The South Korean government strongly protests Tokyo dispatching a high level official to the Dokdo day event hosted by a local government on February 22nd and also its repeated unjustified claims that Dokdo is Japanese territory. The ministry urges Japan to abolish the annual event."<br /><br />Seoul also demanded Tokyo stop laying claim to the easternmost islets that are South Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law.<br />It added that,...as a responsible nation, Japan should view history with humility and honesty.<br />Beyond this local effort in claiming sovereignty over Dokdo, Japan's central government has been taking its own measures.<br />Last month, it opened an exhibition hall in Tokyo featuring a compilation of egregious claims over Dokdo.<br /><br /> "There's a slew of historical data and documents at home and abroad showing that Dokdo is Japanese territory."<br /><br />Adding to the persistent and false claims, last week, for the first time ever ... Tokyo formally specified Dokdo as Japanese territory in a new education guideline for high school textbooks.<br />This measure awaits final confirmation.<br />Park Jong-hong, Arirang News. <br />
