Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said on later Thursday
that he is considering to send Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi
to South Korea as early as Friday for talks on Japan's planned
maritime survey around disputed islets.
Koizumi said the visit is aimed at finding "a resolution through
amicable dialogue," and he hoped that the two sides could "talk
well" and resolve the issue "through diplomatic negotiations with a
level-headed manner," according to Kyodo News.
Analysts described the scheduled visit as Japan's new step of
efforts to head off a confrontation with South Korea and find a
breakthrough to settle the row generated by Japan's maritime survey
plan.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said earlier in the
day in a press conference that the two sides are "making unofficial
contacts with the aim of reaching a peaceful settlement," and Japan
"would like to wait and see the outcome."
According to news reaching in Tokyo, Japanese Ambassador to
South Korea Shotaro Oshima was summoned earlier Thursday by South
Korea's Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki Moon, who
reiterated the demand that Japan immediately abandon its survey
plan, and reaffirmed South Korea's resolution to take "decisive
measure" and "stern responses" when necessary, referring to
Japanese survey vessel's possible intrusion into the South Korean
exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which is also claimed by Japan.
Kyodo said South Korean coast guard had deployed more than 18
ships, including patrol vessels, around the disputed islets, known
as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, to block Japanese survey
ships.
Two Japan Coast Guard maritime survey vessels left port in
Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast on
Wednesday afternoon, but are still on standby as of now awaiting
orders to carry out their assignment of creating a hydrographic
map.
Japan had initially planned to launch the survey as early as
Thursday and conclude it on April 26, but is apparently putting it
off in response to the South Korean protests.
The area to be surveyed lies within Japan's EEZ, but also
includes an area claimed by South Korea as its territory, as the
two countries have not clearly set their EEZ border, Kyodo
said.
The Japanese government says the intended survey comes in
response to South Korea's move to propose naming the seafloor
topography of the area in question during an upcoming international
conference in June.
(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2006)
