Japan mulls International Court to settle islands dispute with S Korea

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba announced Saturday that Tokyo is considering to take the long-running islands territorial dispute with South Korea to the International Court of Justice The announcement came a day after South Korean President Lee Myung Bak made a surprise visit to the islands, known as Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo in Korean, in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). "We must consider measures to peacefully resolve the dispute based on international law, including filing a suit with the International Court of Justice," the Japanese Minister told reporters. "We would like to take the step in the not-too-distant future. Until now, the Japanese government has considered what impact such action may have on Japan-South Korea ties," Gemba said. "Having seen Republic of Korea take such an unacceptable action, we believe that letting Japan's case on Takeshima known to the world, through ICJ, is more important than holding back, giving consideration for the whole Japan-ROK relations." The islands, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, lie equidistant from the two mainlands and are believed to contain frozen natural gas deposits potentially worth billions of dollars. Lee became the first South Korean leader on Friday to make the trip to the islands, which have been a persistent irritant in relations between the two countries. Japan recalled its ambassador to South Korea on Friday after Lee visited disputed islands. Officials in South Korea said the visit was meant to highlight the islands' importance as a natural reserve and was not aimed at stirring up trouble.