▲ Video capture of Dokdo fishing produced by the Japan Institute for International Affairs
The Japan Institute for International Affairs, affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, posted a video on YouTube that claimed that Japanese caught fish on Dokdo before 1905.
It is interpreted to be a claim to Japan that Dokdo Island belonged to Shimane Prefecture, Japan, and that Japanese people had entered and exited Japan before entering Japan's Shimane Prefecture.
The video claims that 87-year-old Sasaki Jun appeared, telling the story of a fisherman's grandfather who caught sea lions and abalone in Dokdo before 1905.
The institute said that it plans to shoot about 5 testimonies from Shimane prefecture in the future and release them on YouTube one after another.
He added that this video will be used in school education, saying that Dokdo is expected to deepen its understanding of Japan's unique territory.
However, there have been long-standing claims that the Japanese came to Dokdo in the early 20th century and overthrew the sea lions to extinction.
(Photo = Japan International Research Institute production video capture, Yonhap News)