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The Shidokai members prepare to leave Shimane Prefecture's port city of Etomo by boat Wednesday./KBS-TV
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The Japanese right wing group that was planning a landing on the Dokdo Islets gave up on trying to enter Korean territorial waters Thursday morning and is on its way home.
On Wednesday afternoon, four members of the Nihon Shidokai arrived at the Oki Islands, Japanese islands located 157 km east of the Dokdo Islets. The foreign ministry said the four stayed the night at the islands and at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, departed Oki to return home to Etomo, Shimane Prefecture.
A foreign ministry official said, "I understand that the Shidokai members didn't make and unusual movements at the Oki Islands... I understand that patrol boats from the Japanese coastal protection authority escorted the boat to the Oki Islands and persuaded the group to return to the Japanese mainland."
The Shidokai members left Shimane Prefecture's port city of Etomo at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday in a 6-ton boat and arrived at the Oki Islands at 2:45 p.m., 1 hour and 40 minutes later.
Prior to this, the group released a statement Sunday in which they said, "In accordance with Japan's ancient racial spirit, we will dare to land on the Takeshima Islets (The Japanese name for the Dokdo Islets) despite the danger of seizure." After the statement, the group took their boat from Kagawa Prefecture's Takamatsu city to Shimane Prefecture.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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