DPJ Lawmaker Visits Korea, Signs Statement Denouncing Japanese Territorial Claims
Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Ryuichi Doi is under fire after it came to light that he signed a statement demanding that the Japanese government withdraw its territorial claim to the Liancourt Rocks:
Ryuichi Doi signed a declaration that Japan should immediately give up sovereignty claims over disputed islets known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, during his visit to South Korea in February, he admitted Wednesday.
The House of Representatives member signed it during a one-day visit to the country for an exchange among Christian-affiliated lawmakers on Feb. 27, when a memorial event for an independence movement in 1919 against Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula took place.
Ever since South Korea took the rocks by military force in the 1950′s, Japan has repeatedly proposed a peaceful resolution of the dispute via the International Court of Justice. The DPJ, the LDP, and the Komeito party all support this policy. Doi’s actions have drawn harsh criticism from all three parties. There is even talk of asking him to withdraw his membership in the DPJ.
According to Wikipedia, when the story first broke on March 9th, Doi was asked to comment and said that he couldn’t really say that the rocks were Japanese territory. After the story was picked up by more media outlets, Doi changed his tune, saying that he actually thought the rocks were Japanese territory, but that there should be more discussion regarding the matter. He also claims that he wasn’t fully aware of the one-sided nature of the statement he signed.
Update: While I was preparing this post, it was reported that Doi had resigned from his position as chairman of the Lower House Deliberative Council on Political Ethics.
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