Seoul protests Tokyo Olympic Committee’s map of Japan

July 24, 2019

Tokyo--The South Korean government has protested against the map of Japan including disputed islands on the official website of the organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.

The protest was lodged through the Japanese embassy in Seoul on Friday, according to Suga.

The Sea of Japan islands of Takeshima in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, are in the effective control of South Korea, where the islands are called Dokdo.

South Korea also expressed regret that the term Sea of Japan is used on the committee's official website. Seoul wants the body of water separating Japan and the Korean Peninsula to be called "East Sea."

In response, the Japanese side said that the claims by South Korea are utterly unacceptable, reflecting its position regarding the Sea of Japan and territorial rights over Takeshima.

The map of Japan on the committee's website, showing the route of the torch relay for the 2020 Games, also includes four Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands claimed by Japan.