竹島問題の歴史

22.2.11

Takeshima Day -- February 22

Today is Japan's "Takeshima Day," which is the day that commemorates the February 22, 1905 incorporation of Takeshima (Liancourt Rocks) into Japan's Oki County. See the 1905 newspaper article announcing the incorporation HERE.

Any news on how it is being celebrated in Japan?

4 comments:

  1. Thanks, Gerry

    I really wanted to be there, but I couldn't. It looks like there is so many news articles around Japan. Since last Senkaku trouble, so many Japanese are awakened/alarmed and trying to understand territorial issue including Takeshima.

    Here is my rough translation of Kyodo article.

    From Kyodo News

    http://www.47news.jp/CN/201102/CN2011022201000673.html

    500 citizenes and others gathered for the 6th commemorative ceremony of Takeshima Day held by Shimane prefecture in Matsue city on 22th Feb, 2011.

    The 13 members, which is most on record, of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors participated in. Especially, two from DPJ first joined to the ceremony. One of them is Rep. Watanabe Shu, who is a chairman of Committee for People's Movement, and the other is Rep. Komuro from Shimane, who once opposed against Takeshima Day when he was a memver of Shimane Prefectural Assembly 6 years ago. There seems to be an aim of appealing for nationally and to the people who concern for the territorial issue risen by such as the fishing boat collision events off the coast of Senkaku Islands, too.

    There was no remarkable protest activity this year though it was an established custom that the South Korean group who insisted its Korea's around the hall every year.

    Mr. Mizoguchi Zenbei, Governor of Shimane Prefecture, submitted the request for establishing the jurisdictional organization of the Takeshima Issue in the government to the ceremony to the assembly member of ruling and opposition parties who attended.

    The person such as the Foreign Ministers in the government was absent 6 years in a row.

    According to the public opinion poll executed last August for the inhabitants of the prefecture Shimane Prefecture,61.3% are interested in the Takeshima Issue.
    61.3%, increased from the previous year by 0.9 points, answered "interested" in Takeshima Issue on the public opinion poll executed last August for the inhabitants of the prefecture Shimane Prefecture.

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  2. Thanks for taking the time to translate that article, Kaneganese. I was curious to know what was going on in Japan on Takeshima Day and used Google to translate a few articles, but did not see the article you translated, which had more information.

    I am a little surprised that only 61 percent of the people of Shimane are "interested" in Takeshima. I wonder how many people in Japan, as a whole, are interested.

    I guess the fact that Koreans are now making less noise about Takeshima has resulted in less interest in Japan, as well.

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  3. It is true that 61 percent is relatively low and the situation is kind of serious, but at least it getting better a bit by bit. The reason Japanese are not really interested in the territorial issue is most of them are not nationalistic. And when it comes to Takeshima, especially, there were no mention of it at school because of Korea's emotional reaction. Japanese lawmakers and bureaucrats always try to avoid conflicts and play it safe. We call it "principle of peace-at-any-price"(事無かれ主義), and it is people disease of Japan. What people of Shimane had done, against the will of central government, was revolutionary in that sense, and they are the real Samurais, IMO. And you too, Gerry.

    From April, the month all the new school year starts, Takeshima are planned to be taught in the elementary school classrooms.

    Anyway, I found Mainichi Daily News article written in English.

    DPJ lawmaker to attend 'Takeshima Day' ceremony for 1st time
    http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/01/27/20110127p2g00m0dm024000c.html

    http://megalodon.jp/2011-0222-2353-06/mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/01/27/20110127p2g00m0dm024000c.html

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  4. Thank you, Kaneganese.

    One of the problems might be that the history of Takeshima is not explained in a way that ordinary Japanese can understand and enjoy. Also, they are probably confused by all the misinformation coming out of Korea.

    Anyway, I have an idea for improving this blog by organizing the history better. I am going to start with a detailed timeline that I hope can be translated into Japanese and Korean later. I will work on it by gradually adding to it in my freetime. When I get it completed, I will post it and consider suggestions for improving it.

    Also, I want to make a better index of Korean, Japanese, and Western maps and documents. Then, I want to work on writing a history.

    I have been away from the issues for awhile, so I am feeling a little rusty, but I am ready to start looking at the history again and working on the blog.

    I think we can make this blog an even better resource for information on Takeshima.

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