Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010
The small islands (rocks) between Japan and South Korea—known as Takeshima in Japan, Dokdo in South Korea, and the Liancourt Rocks in the West—have long been a point of contention in modern politics. It remains a complex territorial issue with no definitive answer.
The group of rocky islets in the Sea of Japan covers an area of about 0.20 square kilometers. They are located 211 kilometers from Japan’s main island of Honshu and 216.8 kilometers from mainland South Korea. The nearest Japanese island, the Oki Islands, lies 157 kilometers away, while South Korea’s Ulleungdo is 87.4 kilometers distant.
Japan claims that it established sovereignty over the islands in the mid-17th century through travel permits and fishing activity in the Sea of Japan, and that incorporation into Shimane Prefecture in 1905 as terra nullius clarified ownership under international law.
Before the late Edo period, the islands were known as Matsushima, while the nearby Ulleungdo, now part of South Korea, was called Takeshima.
Japan does not claim Ulleungdo, as the island was once an independent Korean kingdom and later saw some settlement by Tungusic peoples. During the Joseon period, Korea claimed Ulleungdo and ordered it to remain uninhabited for safety reasons, though it continued to be used by both Korean and Japanese fishermen. In the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate and the Joseon court officially agreed to prohibit landing on Ulleungdo out of respect for the Joseon request. However, the Liancourt Rocks were not mentioned in this agreement, and Japanese fishermen continued to use the area.
South Korea bases its claim partly on references to an island called Usando in medieval texts such as Samguk Sagi and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. According to the Korean view, Usando refers to the Liancourt Rocks. However, the term Usando has at times referred to Ulleungdo or to the smaller islands surrounding it, and its exact location remains uncertain in modern interpretation, as the area contains many small islets.
In Korea, the name Dokdo appears in records from the early 20th century, with one of the earliest mentions found in a 1904 Japanese naval log stating that locals referred to the island as “Dokdo.” The name replaced earlier Korean designations such as “Usando” and “Seokdo.” In 1952, South Korea established the “Syngman Rhee Line,” placing the rocks within its boundary and stationing coast guard units there. Since then, South Korea has exercised administrative control, while Japan continues to protest.
The Liancourt Rocks issue remains significant. In South Korea, even young students learn about the islands, and a popular song titled “Dokdo is Our Land” reinforces this message from an early age. The name appears in various public symbols, from monuments to consumer products such as skincare lines, showing how the territorial issue has become part of national sentiment.
Other countries use the “neutral” name “Liancourt Rocks”, after the French whaling ship Liancourt, which recorded the islands in 1849. Historical records also show that the term “Liancourt Island” or its shortened form “Ryanko Island” was once used in Japan to refer to the same area.
The idea of fixed borders and national territory is relatively modern, shaped by a European understanding of international law. This is why Europeans described the “discovery” of the Liancourt Rocks despite the area already being known and contested in East Asia. In this sense, even the term “Liancourt Rocks” is not entirely neutral, as it reflects a framework that removes the agency of non-Western cultures. The earlier exchanges between the Joseon court and the Edo shogunate, such as requests to limit fishing or travel, reflect a different concept of territorial management from what we understand today. As a result, the discussion often does not move beyond the historical record itself, since both sides hold interpretations that are grounded in different periods and legal traditions.
