2024-03-02 02:05:00
▲A panoramic view of Korea’s easternmost territory, Dokdo. Although Japan claims sovereignty over Takeshima, there is an atmosphere of indifference toward Takeshima among young Japanese people. /Reporter Shin Hyun-jung
I teach international relations to Japanese students in Japan. One day during class, the topic of territorial issues came up. So I asked him once. “Do you guys know ‘Takeshima’?” Actually, I thought the answer would be “yes” right away. However, the expressions on the students’ faces were strange. A considerable number of students were looking around. I changed the question and said, “No, don’t you know ‘Takeshima’? In South Korea, it’s called ‘Dokdo.'” “Today, I heard the word “Takeshima” for the first time here.
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▲A panoramic view of Korea’s easternmost territory, Dokdo. Although Japan claims sovereignty over Takeshima, there is an atmosphere of indifference towards Takeshima among young Japanese people. /Reporter Shin Hyun-jung
I teach international relations to Japanese students in Japan. One day during class, the topic of territorial issues came up. So I asked him once. “Do you guys know ‘Takeshima’?” Actually, I thought the answer would be “yes” right away. However, the expressions on the students’ faces were strange. A considerable number of students were looking around. I changed the question and said, “No, don’t you know ‘Takeshima’? In South Korea, it’s called ‘Dokdo.'” “Who heard the word “Takeshima” for the first time here today? Raise your hand.” About 10 of the 30 students in attendance raised their hands. Surprisingly, some of them didn’t even know that Takeshima was an island.
The remaining 20 people still knew that Takeshima was an island. But that’s it. “Is Takeshima located in the north, south, or east of Japan?” I asked the students, but they wouldn’t look at me. “Are you from the north?” I was astonished. When I checked, 10 of the remaining 20 people had heard of Takeshima and knew it was an island, but they couldn’t pinpoint whether it was located north, south, east or west.
What was even more surprising was the answers of the remaining 10 people. They knew the location of Takeshima and also knew that there were differences of opinion between Korea and Japan. So, I asked these students for a solution. First, Takeshima is Japanese territory and should be returned to Japan. Second, it would be better to give Takeshima to South Korea for free. Third, I don’t really understand.
To my surprise, about half of the students chose to “give it to South Korea.” They say they don’t understand why they have to continue to be at odds with South Korea over this small island. Most of the remaining students chose “I’m not sure.” Only one or two students chose “Korea should return it.”
My lectures are conducted 100% in English, and students who are relatively interested in overseas affairs come to listen to my lectures. But perhaps the reason these students are indifferent about Dokdo is because they are “exceptional” Japanese people?
That doesn’t seem to be the case. A short while later, while having dinner with a Foreign Ministry official with whom she was close, she heard a story that matched her own experience exactly. This person lived as a current diplomat, and in his spare time lectured on foreign policy to university students. He said that his lecture would also include territorial issues, including the Northern Territories issue with Russia and the Senkaku Islands issue with China, as well as the “Takeshima” issue. However, the students said they were not particularly interested in the “Takeshima” issue. Not only is he uninterested in other diplomatic issues, but he is also completely uninterested in them compared to other territorial issues.
The indifference of young Japanese people toward Dokdo, or rather, Takeshima, can be confirmed by statistics. According to a public opinion poll conducted by the Cabinet Office in 2022, more than 70% of people in their 60s and older said they were interested in Takeshima, but 52% of people in their 30s and 18 to 29 years old answered that they were interested in Takeshima. In the previous age group, it was only 36%.
This number is surprising. Since 2008, the Japanese government has been gradually revising the curriculum guidelines for elementary, middle, and high schools, and has been educating children and students about the location of Takeshima, why it is Japanese territory, and the fact that it is currently under the effective control of South Korea. I tried to explain the background of the process. If this revision of the curriculum guidelines had been successful, Japanese people today in their teens and 20s would know more about Takeshima and have more interest in it than older generations. . The new curriculum guidelines have failed.
At the end of last year, there was an uproar after it was discovered that psychological education materials published by South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (equivalent to the Ministry) included the phrase “Dokdo is under dispute.” The official position of the South Korean government is that there is no dispute related to Dokdo. But have Koreans actually acted in a manner consistent with this position? As soon as the news broke that Japan had claimed that Dokdo was Japanese territory, “amateur experts” jumped out everywhere, saying things like “we should respond strongly” and “we should strengthen our external public relations.” When you make an argument that “should” be made, who is the one who agrees with it?
He traveled to many countries around the world, telling foreigners who didn’t even know where Dokdo was, that “Dokdo is our territory,” and “strengthening public relations,” and from the perspective of “strong response” related to Dokdo. If you see people getting into heated arguments with people, will foreigners see Dokdo as being in a state of conflict, or vice versa?
Isn’t it time for Koreans to maintain a calmer and more consistent attitude regarding the Dokdo issue? There is no need for Koreans to be happy or sad just because Japan makes some claims about Dokdo. Even if South Korea moves forward with a quiet response or no response, time is on South Korea’s side since it has effective control over Dokdo. The number of Japanese people who don’t know where Takeshima is located and those who want to give Takeshima to South Korea will gradually increase.
On February 22nd, as has been the case every year, a commemorative ceremony was held to commemorate “Takeshima Day,” which was established by Shimane Prefecture’s ordinance. Shimane Prefecture has persistently requested the central government to have a prime minister or minister-level member attend the commemorative ceremony, but the Japanese government has only dispatched one parliamentary vice-minister at the level of a first-time elected lawmaker this year. When South Korea protests over the “Takeshima Day” issue, Japanese media write even more articles claiming that “South Korea protested.” This time, why not try to properly implement South Korea’s position that there is no dispute related to Dokdo? In fact, Shimane Prefecture may be embarrassed if the South Korean side lowers its level of response. This is because the truly powerful response to the Dokdo issue is a “quiet response.”
Chan Boo-sun Professor, Kansai University of Foreign Studies (International Relations)
Chosun Ilbo / Chosun Ilbo Japanese version
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