Japan mulls international court for S. Korea row

Sports Page 13

TOKYO, Aug 11 (AFP) Japan could ask the International Court of Justice to settle a bitter row with South Korea over a disputed island group, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Saturday.

It comes 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," Gemba 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.

"But the president's visit to Takeshima made such considerations unneces- sary. We must present Japan's position to the international community."Gemba made the remarks after meeting Japan's ambassador to South Korea, Masatoshi Muto, who was recalled to Tokyo after Lee's trip to the islands, which lie at the centre of a decadeslong dispute.

Many Koreans resent Japan's brutal colonisation from 1910 to 1945. Historical disputes continue to mar relationship, despite close economic ties and shared concerns over North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes.