Does this Mean War?

This post from the Marmot about Japan’s “invasion” plans of the Dokto islands has to be the funniest post I have read all year. For those in America and across the globe that haven’t heard about the Dokto Islands dispute (If you haven’t, don’t worry the Dokto Riders are coming to a town near you), Japan and Korea have long argued over ownership of these two worthless piece of rocks. However, the squabble IMHO is not about the rocks themselves, but about fishing rights. The Dokto Islands extend Korea’s exclusive economic zone of the surrounding ocean for Korean fishermen.

Japanese fishermen dispute this economic zone and politicians back in Japan eager to gain a voting block take small measures like declaring “Takeshima Day” (the Japanese name for Dokto) in order to show solidarity with the fishermen. I think that the Japanese fishing industry feels that if they keep putting pressure on the Koreans over Dokto they will receive a favorable fishing treaty. Dokto is currently occupied by a small Korean military garrison and patroled with Korean naval destroyers even though there is no chance that Japan will seize the islands by force. This is of course 2006, not 1941.

The current flare up is over a research vessel that is going to be traveling in waters near Dokto:

Korea has vowed to stop a plan by Japanese maritime authorities to dispatch a research vessel into Korea’s exclusive economic zone near Dokdo for a hydrographical survey. Korea has not been informed of a move some say is a deliberate ploy to heighten tensions in the sensitive area………………………….

The government has called in Japanese Ambassador Shotaro Oshima to register a strong protest. “Trespassing into our EEZ without permission is an act of unannounced incursion,” Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan was quoted as telling the envoy. “If Japan follows through with these plans, we will do everything in our power to stop you.” The ambassador responded the area Tokyo intends to survey falls within Japan?s EEZ. However, this would only be the case if the Dokdo islets were Japanese territory, in which case the line between Ulleung Island and Dokdo would mark the limit of both countries? EEZ.

I wonder if the Korean military contingent on Dokto are practicing recall and battle drills to prepare for this invasion of hostile scientists? These scientists could just be a cover though for this contingent of Japanese SDF Marines that were trained in amphibious operations by the US Marine Corps. If these scientists do land on Dokto the soldiers can call up for reinforcements with their cellphones and they could always sic these dogs on them as well.

Dokto Forever!