Posts minister Taro Aso said Friday that Tokyo should retaliate to Seoul's plans to release stamps bearing the image of a disputed island in the Sea of Japan by creating stamps of its own featuring the same territory.
Aso, minister of public management, home affairs, posts and telecommunications, issued the proposal during a Cabinet meeting, deregulation minister Kazuyoshi Kaneko told a news conference.
The dispute centers on an island -- known as Takeshima in Japan and as Tok-do in South Korea -- that is claimed by both countries.
Aso was quoted as telling the other ministers, "Whether Japan Post will issue such a commemorative stamp as a countermeasure is a very political matter."
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda did not comment on the proposal.
South Korean postal authorities said they will issue 560,000 sets of four stamps featuring the island on Jan. 16.
