竹島問題の歴史

13.12.07

1954 Report of Van Fleet mission to the Far East


The Report of Van Fleet Mission to the Far East is a secret report drafted by James Van Fleet, a US special mission ambassador, after a round of visits to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and sent to the 34th U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954.


To follow is from the report:



The Island of Dokto (otherwise called Liancourt and Take
Shima) is in the Sea of Japan approximately midway between Korea and Honshu
(131.80E, 36.20N). This Island is, in fact, only a group of barren, uninhabited
rocks. When the Treaty of Peace with Japan was being drafted, the Republic of
Korea asserted its claims to Dokto but the United States concluded that they
remained under Japanese sovereignty
and the Island was not included among the
Islands that Japan released from its ownership
under the Peace Treaty. The
Republic of Korea has been confidentially informed of the United States position
regarding the islands but our position has not been made public. Though the
United States considers that the islands are Japanese territory
, we have
declined to interfere in the dispute. Our position has been that the dispute
might properly be referred to the International Court of Justice
and this
suggestion has been informally conveyed to the Republic of Korea.

General Van Fleet's view is as follows:

Unilateral proclamation of sovereignty over the seas (Syngman Rhee line) is illegal.
The United States had concluded Japanese sovereignty over the rocks.
The dispute over the rocks might properly be referred to the International Court of Justice.


As the San Francisco Peace Treaty* shows, Liancourt rocks (Takeshima/Dokdo) were not included in the list of islands which Japan should give back to Korea.


*Japan recognizing the independence of Korea, renounces all right, title and claim to Korea, including the islands of Quelpart, Port Hamilton and Dagelet.


USA meant that Liancourt rocks (Takeshima/Dokdo) are Japanese territory and recommend to go to the International Court of Justice - Japan proposed Korea to go to ICJ twice since then but they kept rejecting the proposal.

5 comments:

  1. I found the site where the original of FRUS was able to be seen.
    Foreign Relations of the United States

    ReplyDelete
  2. opp

    Lots of thanks, it seems to be interesting.
    Did you find a goldmine?

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's just a view of him and US. I can't see any legal validity of his letter or report on SF treaty at all. You see that there have been no official changes on treay articles of SF treaty regarding Dokdo/Takeshima. right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What it does is confirm that US believed the SF treaty recognized Takeshima (Liancourt Rocks) as Japanese territory.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous30/1/17 15:36

    There have been no official changes on articles of SF treaty regarding Takeshima. It means Takeshima belongs to Japan like before.

    ReplyDelete

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