Takeshima is Japanese territory (Mainichi Shimbun)

Government of Japan rebuts South Korea's protest
Note verbale tomorrow

On 21st, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan will hand over a note verbale to South Korea stating that "Takeshima (Shimane Prefecture) is Japanese territory, and the occupation of it by the Republic of Korea is an illegal act". This will be sent for the rebuttal against the protest from the South Korean side in a note verbale stating "Patrol vessels of the Maritime Safety Agency are trespassing in the area around Takeshima, and this is a violation of territorial waters" on the 18th. The Government has not changed its position that "Takeshima is Japanese territory", and therefore, has dispatched Maritime Safety Agency vessels to patrol the islands once every two or three months. The patrol vessel "Hekura" was dispatched to the island recently. The Japanese side had shown a willingness to settle this dispute as amicably as possible in view of possible bad influence on the Japan-South Korea talks. But since the protest by the South Korean side on 18th was made through official channels, the Government of Japan decided to take measures to object to it urgently.