August 18, 2025
SEOUL – Japan protested to South Korea over what appeared to be unauthorized marine research conducted by South Korean vessels within Japan’s territorial waters off the coast of the Takeshima Islands in Shimane Prefecture on Saturday.
At about 12:15 p.m. on Friday, the research vessel Onnuri was seen dropping what appeared to be a wire into the sea within Japan’s territorial waters west of the islands, according to the 8th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.
In response, Masaaki Kanai, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Foreign Ministry, lodged a strong protest on the same day with Kim Jang Hyun, charge d’affaires ad interim at the South Korean Embassy in Japan.
The Japanese Embassy in South Korea also lodged a protest with the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
