Japan Condemns Takeshima Visit by S. Korean Provincial Governor

Tokyo, Jan. 25 (Jiji Press)--Japan on Wednesday condemned a visit to disputed islands in the Sea of Japan by Kim Kwan-yong, governor of South Korea's Gyeongsang Province. The visit was "totally unacceptable and extremely regrettable," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference, noting that the Japanese government had urged the South Korean side to cancel the visit. The islands, controlled by Seoul and claimed by Tokyo, are called Dokdo in South Korea. Suga denied that the Takeshima visit will influence any decision on when Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine will return to Seoul. Tokyo temporarily recalled Nagamine earlier this month to protest the installation of a girl's statue in front of the Japanese consulate-general in Busan, South Korea, that symbolizes Korean comfort women forced into prostitution for Japanese troops chiefly during World War II. Asked about ways to break a stalemate in Japan-South Korea relations, Suga said, "That's something South Korea should think about." END