somebody scraped “(East Sea)” out of the monument

日韓交流記念の碑、説明板から「東海」削る…鳥取・琴浦 from Yomiuri Shinbun

It was supposed to say 日本海（東海）”Sea of Japan(East Sea)” but, somebody scraped “(East Sea)” out of the monument in Tottori Prefecture which was built to celebrate the friendship of Japan and Korea.

This is the first time I heard this kind of thing happened in Japan while I hear Koreans doing this kind of things almost every month all over the world. South Koreans put Korean flag into the bottom of Sea of Japan[picture], bottom of a lake in Japan near Mt.Fuji, and Tsushima Island, then proudly shows in Korean TV. This is just sad to see a Japanese started to do the same kind of thing. Hope this will be the last.

Happy Korea-Japan friendship year 2005!

[update1]

According to this article [Japanese] from Chugoku Shinbun and this one [Japanese], it seems it was the town itself decided to remove “(East Sea)”. Mindan is now criticizing this action claiming that this is against the spirit of the friendship (whatever).

It was built in 1994. It is located at a park called “Japan-Korean friendship park”. And it showed the historical event when Japanese helped Korean fishermen in 1819 and treated them very well and wishing Sea of Japan(East Sea) be the ocean of peace and friendship in the future.

This could, in my opinion, indicate many Japanese began to realize “the friendship” with Koreans were just an illusion. Or it is because fishermen in Tottori are just angry about the illegal fishing by many of South Korean fishermen. I heard a lot people suffer from illegal fishing(Poaching) by South Koreans near Tottori shore.

[update2]

Wow, this town has the Japan-Korea friendship Museum too. Very impressive.

[related post]

Korea changes her mind on East Sea