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112 Japanese nationals register Dokdo as legal place of residence in 2025

Published: 24 Feb. 2026, 15:21 Updated: 24 Feb. 2026, 15:38

LIM JEONG-WON
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Visitors look at a model of the easternmost Dokdo islets at the Dokdo Museum Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on Feb. 22. [NEWS1]

A total of 112 Japanese nationals had registered Dokdo as their legal place of residence as of the end of last year, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Monday.

The figure marks a roughly 4.3-fold increase from the 26 people recorded at the end of 2005, according to Japanese government data. The rise is believed to be linked to a relocation campaign led by right-wing groups in Japan.

The number of Japanese nationals listing Dokdo — or Takeshima in Japanese — as their registered domicile stood at 124 at the end of 2021, 121 at the end of 2022, 119 at the end of 2023 and 122 at the end of 2024, according to aggregated data from the town of Okinoshima in Shimane Prefecture.

That number fell slightly to 112 at the end of last year.

Japanese citizens can designate Dokdo as their legal residence because the Japanese government claims sovereignty over the islets. Under Japanese family registry laws, citizens are allowed to register their domicile anywhere within what Japan considers its territory.

The Dokdo address listed translates to “government-owned land without a lot number, Takeshima, Okinoshima Town, Oki District, Shimane Prefecture.” The term “government-owned land without a lot number” indicates state-owned land without a specific parcel number.

The easternmost Dokdo Islets are seen on Feb. 22, 2024. [NEWS1]

Kazuhisa Hamaguchi, a specially appointed professor at Takushoku University who transferred his domicile to Dokdo in March 2004, changed it back to Tokyo several years ago.

At the time of the transfer, he claimed that he wanted to “raise public awareness about Takeshima” and territorial issues. When relocating his domicile back to Tokyo, he explained that others had followed his example, so he had sufficiently fulfilled his role.

Hamaguchi also expressed regret that the Japanese government sent only a parliamentary vice minister, rather than a vice minister, to the latest Takeshima Day event, arguing that a stronger external message was needed.

Takeshima Day is an annual event that claims sovereignty over Dokdo and takes place in Japan's western Shimane Prefecture.

The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in Hirotaka Matsuo, the deputy head of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, on Sunday to strongly protest the event.

“[We] once again sternly urge that the event be immediately scrapped,” ministry spokesperson Park Il said in a statement. “Dokdo is clearly an integral part of our territory in terms of history, geography and international law.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]