On a recent Korea Air flight from Narita to Inchon, South Korea, I was surprised when they showed images of air routes on the in-flight video system. The Tok-do islets in the Sea of Japan, the source of a Japan-South Korea territorial dispute, were shown as prominently as Tokyo and Seoul. The islets, known as Takeshima in Japan, are only 0.23 sq. kilometer, about the size of Hibiya Park in downtown Tokyo. The video image was no doubt intended as propaganda for foreign passengers.
Japan-South Korea friction also involves Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine (which honors Japan's convicted Class-A war criminals as well as the war dead), alleged distortions in history textbooks for Japanese middle school students, and the violation of the Japanese fisheries law in late May by a South Korean fishing boat off Tsushima Island.
A report published June 10 by the Japan-South Korea joint committee for research on history failed to bridge bilateral differences and ended up listing arguments of both sides on most issues. Still, I hope the report marks the first step toward easing the strained political relations between the two countries.