Japan repeats claim over Korea's Dokdo islets in defense white paper for 21st straight year

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Japan repeats claim over Korea's Dokdo islets in defense white paper for 21st straight year

Published: 15 Jul. 2025, 16:12 Updated: 15 Jul. 2025, 19:28

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters at the defense ministry in Tokyo, Japan on June 19. [EPA/YONHAP]

Japan has reiterated its claim over Korea’s Dokdo islets — referred to as “Takeshima” by Tokyo — for the 21st consecutive year in its 2025 defense white paper.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani presented the 2025 edition of Japan’s defense white paper on Tuesday, which includes Tokyo’s claim to Dokdo, at a cabinet meeting attended by Prime Minister Ishiba. In the first such report under the Shigeru Ishiba administration, the Japanese government again grouped the territorial dispute with Korea alongside regional security issues involving China and Russia.

Since 2005, Japan has referred to Dokdo as “Takeshima” in its defense white papers and has maintained its territorial claim over the islets. In a map outlining Japan’s security environment, the white paper groups the Dokdo territorial issue alongside tensions over Taiwan and China’s maritime expansion.

The paper states that “the territorial issues concerning our inherent territories of the Northern Territories and Takeshima remain unresolved," referring to the country's shorthand for the four Kuril Islands as the Northern Territories.

Korea is described as “an important neighboring country with whom Japan should cooperate as a partner in addressing various international challenges.” This phrasing, introduced in last year’s white paper, reflects recent efforts to improve bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo.

Yoshiyasu Iseki, acting minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, enters the Ministry of Foreign Affaris building in Jongno District, central Seoul on July 15, after being summoned over the claims made by Tokyo in its defense white papers over the Korean islets Dokdo. [NEWS1]

The Korean government protested the reference to Dokdo and urged its withdrawal on Tuesday. Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a spokesperson's commentary, and both the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense summoned the Japanese diplomats to lodge a formal complaint.

Seoul's Defense Ministry summoned Hirofumi Inoue, the Japanese defense attaché to Korea, while the Foreign Ministry summoned Yoshiyasu Iseki, acting minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to lodge protests over the claim to Dokdo.

"The Korean government strongly protests the Japanese government's repeated claim of unfair sovereignty over Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territory in terms of history, geography and international law, and urges its immediate withdrawal," the statement from the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Lee Jae-woong, read.

"The government once again makes it clear that no claim by the Japanese government regarding Dokdo, which is the inherent territory of Korea, has any influence on our sovereignty, and we will respond resolutely to any provocations by Japan regarding Dokdo," the statement added.

A map in the children's version of Japan's defense white paper names Korea's Dokdo islets, which Tokyo refers to as ″Takeshima,″ as Japanese soveriegn territory [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The white paper also highlights growing concerns over China’s expanding influence and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, describing the international community as facing “the greatest test since the end of World War II” and entering a “new era of crisis.”

It expresses “serious concern” over China’s increasing activities in areas surrounding Japan and warns that North Korea “appears to be pursuing the development of nuclear weapons using not only plutonium but also highly enriched uranium.”

Japan also raised concerns over growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The white paper notes the need to closely monitor the extent of North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what support it may receive from Moscow.

Korea's easternmost Dokdo islets are seen on Dokdo Day on Oct. 25, 2024. [NEWS1]

The white paper also includes a detailed visual explanation of Japan’s newly established Joint Operations Command of the Self-Defense Forces, created in March.

“The Joint Operations Commander, under orders from the Minister of Defense, exercises unified command over the Self-Defense Forces during peacetime,” the document said. “U.S. Forces Japan have also been reorganized under the unified command structure of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.”

In the foreword, Defense Minister Nakatani wrote, “Through repeated defense ministerial meetings with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Japan and the United States have upgraded their respective command and control systems. The establishment of the Joint Operations Command is aligned with the restructuring of U.S. Forces Japan into a unified command.”

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hold a summit on the sidelines of the Group of 7 (G7) summit in Kananaskis, Cadana on June 18. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Meanwhile, in a press conference on the same day, Nakatani declined to confirm reports that the United States had asked Japan to play a specific role in the event of a Taiwan contingency.

“It is difficult to answer hypothetical questions,” Nakatani said, reaffirming Japan’s longstanding position that “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are crucial for Japan’s security and for the stability of the international community.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM HYUN-YE, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]