Tokyo will go all out to persuade Seoul to take a sovereignty row to the International Court of Justice after South Korean President Lee Myung Bak's unprecedented visit to disputed islets in the Sea of Japan, government sources said Friday.
Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba met with South Korean Ambassador to Japan Shin Kak Soo in Tokyo the same day and strongly urged Seoul to join Tokyo in legally resolving the row over what are known in Japan as the Takeshima islets and in South Korea as Dokdo.
"I would like to strongly demand that the South Korean government agree to our proposal if it thinks its claims over Takeshima's sovereignty can be justified," Genba told reporters after the meeting. "It is important to resolve this issue on the world stage in a fair and peaceful manner.