February 20, 1996
Web posted at: 11:15 a.m. EST (1615 GMT)
From Bureau Chief John Lewis and wire reports
TOKYO (CNN) -- A dispute between Japan and South Korea over two small, rocky islands in the Sea of Japan escalated Tuesday into even more of an economic and nationalistic confrontation.
Both countries laid legal claims to the islands, which are roughly midway between the two countries.
Japan struck first, ratifying a U.N. document that gives signatories exclusive rights to resources within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) of its shores. Seoul followed suit, claiming the same 200-mile zone under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Despite the presence of a South Korean coast guard base, the islands -- called Tokdo (Lonely Islands) by South Korea and Takeshima (Bamboo Islands) by Japan -- are not worth much. The real issue is potential wealth from the sea. Waters surrounding the islands contain rich fishing grounds and possible mineral deposits.
In addition to the economic stakes, the dispute is driven by nationalistic passions.
South Korea is sensitive to any slight from Japan, which claimed the islands in 1905 and ruled the Korean peninsula as a colony for 35 years until 1945, forcing women to become sex slaves of the Imperial Army and making Koreans take Japanese surnames and speak Japanese. In 1945, at the end of the war in the Pacific, Seoul sunk its hooks into the islands.
Then, two weeks ago, at the urging of Japanese fishermen, Tokyo's foreign minister claimed, "The islands are historically and in the view of international law, an integral part of Japan".
Maybe, but not to South Koreans who responded to Tokyo's claim by burning Japanese flags in protest outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul. South Korea also beefed up its island garrison to 34 men and last week staged air and navy drills in the area.
Washington has urged both sides to negotiate the dispute, but no talks are scheduled.
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Reuters contributed to this report.
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