Japan and South Korea clash over island dispute
Japan defied angry South Korean objections today and dispatched a ship to begin a survey of an area including disputed islands, raising the stakes in a territorial tiff between the Asian neighbours.
The Japanese plan to survey the rocky outcroppings – held by Seoul but loudly claimed by Tokyo – has triggered an outcry in South Korea and prompted it to dispatch a flotilla of patrol boats to guard the territory.
One of two survey vessels docked on Japan’s west coast left port today to begin the survey, said Yuzuru Kubota, a coast guard official in Sakaiminato, where the ship was docked.
Japan has refused to provide details, but news reports said the survey could start as soon as tomorrow.
The survey comes after South Korea conducted a similar study as part of its argument that the body of water, known internationally as the Sea of Japan, should instead be named the East Sea, as is favoured by Seoul, Japanese officials say.
Word of the ship leaving port came as Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Tokyo had initiated diplomatic contacts with Seoul to resolve the impasse.
