The pollution is also causing loss of biodiversity in the surrounding seas. There are no such islands located is this position. Maritime Boundaries. Japanese boats plied coastal areas of Korea at will and plundered Chosun waters. The map Shimane cites above supposedly shows Takeshima (Ulleungdo) as Japanese land because Takeshima (竹島) and Matsushima (松島) are both yellow like the Oki Islands to the South. The map above shows the amount of territory Korea and Japan would have access to if Japan were acquire Dokdo Takeshima and declare the island an EEZ. OpenStreetMap.

Not so long ago the Japanese government’s homepage declared Matsushima was an island that was bestowed upon the Oya and Murakawa families in the 17th Century. This leads us to believe some other countries did not concur with U.S. foreign policy toward Dokdo Takeshima. The Republic of Korea’s EEZ accounts for a total of 300,851 square kms approximately one-fifteenth the size of Japan’s.

The maps above show Japan’s EEZ with outlying islands included. Even if its absence of any reference causes various interpretations over the status of Tokdo, this would by no means alter the illegality of Japan’s 1905 incorporation measure. Owing to their location and small size, the Liancourt Rocks can have harsh weather. It’s not an exaggeration to say Dean Rusk’s military background deeply effected his political decisions and his policy on Dokdo – Takeshima was no exception. Secondly granting Japan sovereignty would cause the boundary of Japan and Korea to encroach on Korea’s Ulleungdo Island.

We must also consider there were 48 other nations involved in the deliberation process. [8] The western islet is located at 37°14′31″N 131°51′55″E / 37.24194°N 131.86528°E / 37.24194; 131.86528 (West Islet) and the Eastern Islet is located at 37°14′27″N 131°52′10″E / 37.24083°N 131.86944°E / 37.24083; 131.86944 (East Islet). North Korea also claims sovereignty of the islands.. This raises the question why wasn’t the island simply labelled as “Usando”? And a fair interpretation would be that the islands mentioned in Article 2 of the Peace Treaty should be illustrative rather than enumerative given the large number of islands scattered around the Korean Peninsula. Ulleungdo Island has over 10,000 residents who base their livelihoods on both tourism and fishing Ulleungdo’s surrounding waters. The map above shows distance from nearest Korean and Japanese landfalls and islands from the current 12 nautical mile limit enforced by Korea. On page three of this brochure reads “…It is commonly known that the Takeshima problem originated with the South Korean government’s establishment of the so-called Syngman Rhee Line on January 18th 1952…” This is proven wrong by Governor Nobuyoshi Sumita himself on the next page.