Free Republic

The Japanese government can’t say it enough: Takeshima is ours. Senkaku is ours. And the Northern Territories are ours too! The territorial claims–which challenge those of South Korea, China and Russia, respectively–have been repeated like a broken record on nearly a daily basis. Domestic news organizations have devoted considerable ink and airtime to them as the tensions have brewed with neighbors. But in case you’ve been living under a rock during the last month, Japan has launched a blitz of media ads this week to drive the message home. About 70 domestic newspapers will carry ads this week reasserting Japan’s...

Stakes Rise in Japan-S. Korea Island Flap By JOSEPH COLEMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 55 minutes ago Japan defied South Korean protests Wednesday and dispatched two ships to begin a maritime survey near disputed islets between the two nations, raising the stakes in the territorial standoff. South Korea earlier had dispatched a flotilla of patrol boats to guard the territory, held by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo. Two Japanese survey vessels left Sakaiminato on Wednesday, headed for the islands, said Yuzuru Kubota, a coast guard official in the port city on Japan's west coast. But he said the ships...