South Koreans rally over disputed islands with Japan

South Korean students and activists have staged a protest rally against Japan in the capital, Seoul, calling on Tokyo to drop its claims over a group of disputed islands.

The protesters took to the streets near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Saturday, countering an annual rally held in Shimane prefecture in western Japan to mark Tokyo’s claim to the islands controlled by South Korea.

Tokyo refers to the islands, which are located in the Sea of Japan (known as East Sea in South Korea), as Takeshima, while they are called Dokdo in South Korea.

The Shimane prefectural government claims that the islands are under its jurisdiction.

February 22 was designated as “Takeshima Day” in 2005 by the local government to mark the 1905 incorporation of the tiny islands. An annual ceremony has been organized ever since to commemorate the day.

On Saturday, hundreds of people, including a senior Japanese government official as well as local and national politicians, took part in the annual rally in Shimane prefecture.

The organizers of the event said Yoshitami Kameoka, a parliamentary secretary in Tokyo’s Cabinet Office, also participated in the demonstration to represent the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The territorial row along with other issues stemming from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula has strained ties between Seoul and Tokyo.

Tensions further increased in 2012 after a surprise visit by then South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, to the island chain.