MacArthur and Takeshima

Takeshima is a tiny island 150 kilometeres away from the mainland of Japan, and 117 kilometres away from Korea. This is one of the issues between Japan and Korea. Takeshima had belonged to Shimane Prefecture in Japan since 1659 and been recognized so internationally since 1905.

In 1941 the war happened and in 1945 Douglas MacArthur came to Japan as the President of the GHQ. He, when leaving Japan, took the rights of surpervising Takeshima temporarily as well as Okinawa and Ogasawara islands, and gave them to the American Army in Korea. Okinawa and Ogasawara islands were returned to Japan soon but Takeshima was neglected. Probably, the Americans must have forgotten about that island because it was so small an island that it was not found in the maps used before in Korea(but Korea alleges that Takeshima was discovered by a Korean in the 6th century). In 1953 Korea began to say "it is ours." Japan has made claims about this and the US agreed, but Korea ignored that protest and put the army over the island because Japan was not allowed to use the army.

This case should be judged depending on the international law, which says an unidentified island should belong to a country which has owned it for longer time without any trouble. Japan has the fact, but Korea didn't, so Korea needed to create the fact that Korea supervised the island peacefully. One of the ways for Japan to prevent Korea from continuing the illegal occupation of the island is arousing a trouble. Simane Prefecture passed the article by which the day is set of the 100 anniversary of the island's being owened by Shimane Prefecture. Some Koreans called this decision evil. I cannot understand them, but we also know the reason. In Korea, like in China, they learned the limited history, because the governments choose what should be taught to them to arouse nationality and loyalty in the nations(you can see in the textbooks in Korean school the description that Takeshima was one of the areas invaded by Japan in the WWII) . Anyway, when watching a Korean cutting his or her finger, I didn't find what Japanese should do.

But now I know. I should let many of them know the fact that they have been taught distorted facts. So i wrote this.