Greater Issues Than Dokdo Are at Stake Roh, Koizumi in War of Nerves Answer Japanese Provocations from Moral Strength Seoul Announces New Hardline Japan Doctrine Japan's 'Neocons' Feel No Debt to Korea Seoul Continues War of Words With Japan Masan City Cocks Snook at Shimane Prefecture What Will Japan Reflect on, and How?

The Foreign Ministry, in a statement released immediately after the bill passed, warned, "The Japanese side bears all responsibility for any incidents that may occur in the future," and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the bill. It added the bill was completely non-binding under international law and would have no influence on the sovereignty situation.

President Roh Moo-hyun is scheduled to unveil through presidential foreign policy advisor Chung Woo-sung a new doctrine governing Korea-Japan relations. The doctrine was initially scheduled to be announced by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young; the change of spokesman indicates a desire to make it clear that it is the president’s own.

Japan’s Shimane Prefecture assembly on Wednesday approves a bill to designate a 'Takeshima Day', after the Japanese name for Korea's Dokdo Islets, to raise awareness of Japan's claim to the rocks. Out of 36 sitting members of the assembly, 33 voted in favor, two against, and one abstained.

Its keynote is reportedly a "split approach" whereby Seoul will be tough over Dokdo and Japanese distortions of Korean history but continue with Korea-Japan Friendship Year events and other friendly exchanges. But it also provides that if the relationship deteriorates and Tokyo continues its benign neglect of the antics of Japan's rightwingers, friendly cooperative ties could suffer. The position paper is thus expected to contain an expression of concern that Tokyo is taking the situation too lightly.

Bilateral ties are headed for another crossroads in early April, when Japan's education ministry is due to give its verdict on a controversial Japanese textbook distorting regional history with an eye to whitewashing past Japanese abuses. Cheong Wa Dae is considering a switch from its view of bilateral ties as a "future-oriented friendship" toward seeing it as a "relationship of tension" should the Japanese government fail to take steps against the textbook. That could have repercussions for the entire political situation in Northeast Asia.

North Gyeongsang Province meanwhile said it was cutting its sisterly relationship with Shimane Prefecture, as it had threatened to do should the bill pass. The city of Jinju in the province said it was canceling several planned exchanges with the city of Matsue in Shimane Prefecture, including a women’s marathon scheduled for March 20, a July exchange of civil servants, and an exchange of local government officials.

There were nationwide protests calling for severing ties with Japan on Wednesday. Former "comfort women" and members of the Korea Chongshindae Council, Korea Freedom League, Pan-Citizen Alliance to Defend Dokdo, Citizens’ Alliance to Stop North Korean Nuclear Weapons and other civic groups staged a series of protests in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. A delegation of student presidents from 13 universities in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province also demonstrated in front of the Japanese Consulate in Busan.

The U.S. is remaining neutral, with the embassy in Seoul saying in a press "U.S. policy on the Dokdo/Takeshima Island issue has been and continues to be that the United States does not take a position on either Korea's claim or Japan's claim to the island." It made the statement by way of denying local press reports that U.S. officials favored Japan's claim.

(englishnews@chosun.com )