Seoul - South Korea's foreign ministry lodged a strong protest against Japan on Tuesday following the inclusion of South Korea's easternmost islets, Dokdo, in a tsunami advisory by the Japan Meteorological Agency. This advisory came in response to a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year's Day.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the protest was made through diplomatic channels, demanding immediate corrective measures from Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency's website had displayed a map showing tsunami alerts, where the Dokdo islets were highlighted in yellow alongside other regions on Japan's west coast. This inclusion was perceived as a claim over the territory by South Korea.
The earthquake affected the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas in Japan, resulting in several casualties and causing tsunamis on South Korea's east coast. In the briefing, Lim Soo-suk emphasized that South Korea would continue to firmly respond to Japan's unreasonable territorial claims. He reiterated that Dokdo is "clearly an integral part of the Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law."
However, it was noted by a ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that South Korea did not summon any Japanese officials to formally lodge the protest. The issue of Dokdo has long been a source of diplomatic tension between Seoul and Tokyo, with Japan repeatedly laying territorial claims to the islets.