Japan continues to make egregious claims over the sovereignty of Korea's easternmost island of Dokdo.
In fact, Tokyo appears to be upping the ante with a slew of ceremonies and official events falsely claiming the island belongs to Japan.
The South Korean government has lodged an official complaint with Tokyo.
Park Jong-hong has the details.
A small city in Japan's Shimane Prefecture has been holding the so-called Takeshima Day ceremony every year since 2006 and this year was no exception.
Takeshima is Japan's name for Dokdo.
With a population of around 200-thousand people, Matsue city celebrates the day to declare territorial sovereignty over Korea's easternmost island based on the unilateral inclusion of the island by Japan as a local administrative district in 1905.
For six years running, Tokyo has dispatched a senior level government official to the event.

"The Japanese government plans to resolve the Dokdo issue cool-headedly and peacefully under international law."

Outside the event hall, Korean community members staged a protest.
At one point, a group of right-wing Japanese counter-protesters flocked to the site,... almost leading to a physical clash.
Seoul denounced Tokyo for sending a senior government official to the local event.

"The South Korean government strongly protests Tokyo dispatching a high level official to the Dokdo day event hosted by a local government on February 22nd and also its repeated unjustified claims that Dokdo is Japanese territory. The ministry urges Japan to abolish the annual event."

Seoul also demanded Tokyo stop laying claim to the easternmost islets that are South Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law.
It added that,...as a responsible nation, Japan should view history with humility and honesty.
Beyond this local effort in claiming sovereignty over Dokdo, Japan's central government has been taking its own measures.
Last month, it opened an exhibition hall in Tokyo featuring a compilation of egregious claims over Dokdo.

"There's a slew of historical data and documents at home and abroad showing that Dokdo is Japanese territory."

Adding to the persistent and false claims, last week, for the first time ever ... Tokyo formally specified Dokdo as Japanese territory in a new education guideline for high school textbooks.
This measure awaits final confirmation.
Park Jong-hong, Arirang News.