Japanese critic of Tokyo's Dokdo stance to teach in Seoul

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- A senior Japanese scholar who has been demanding his
government ditch its longtime-claim to the South Korean islets of Dokdo will be
lecturing at a top Korean university beginning in March, school officials said
Monday.

Prof. Kazuhiko Kimizima of Tokyo Gakugei University will teach history at Seoul
National University for a year and a half beginning this semester, according to
the officials.
Kimizima, who specializes in modern East Asian history, has been a persistent
critic of his government's policy on Dokdo.
In an op-ed that appeared in Japan's Asahi Shimbun in July last year, the
64-year-old liberal professor publicly opposed the Japanese education ministry's
new teaching manual that recommended instructors teach students that Dokdo is an
area of territorial dispute.
"It has been confirmed by international law that the islets belong to Korea," the
scholar said. "The government should face up to the situation properly and give
up its attempt to forcibly seize the territory of Korea."
He also said the teaching manual "had neither the legal binding power nor any
historical proof" to back Japan's territorial claim to the islets.
In an apparent bid to draw international attention to the longtime tussle with
Seoul, Tokyo identified Dokdo as "disputed land" in its educational handbook for
teachers last summer, implying that the islets are part of its territory.
The move sparked intense public anger here with citizens launching week-long
protests outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and the Korean government
recalling its ambassador to Japan for a record-breaking period of over two
months.
Another Japanese scholar, Seitsu Naito of Shimane University, also claimed last
year that Japan "took the island by force at the time of the Russo-Japanese War
(1904-1905)."
Basing his argument on Japan's own historical records, Naito said Japan had long
recognized Dokdo as part of Korean territory and called on his government to
"squarely admit Korea's possession."
Japan has long attempted to claim sovereignty over the islets, citing its
unilateral declaration of ownership a century ago following its victory in a war
with Russia. South Korea has stationed police contingents on the islets for five
decades to effectively exercise ownership.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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