Dear my Korean friends,

Although my parents are Japanese, I somehow grew up in a Korean town in Kawasaki City of Japan. So I am familiar with −and am fond of−Korean people, Korean food, Korean culture, KARA and Kim Taehee, etc. pretty much. With this in mind, let me say the following. When it comes to Dokdo/Takeshima Islands, I think South Korea becomes like a passionate cult state. The nation educates kids too much about the islands. (Japan, on the other hand, educates too little about the modern history of the nation. That’s our problem.)

I used to write the following story in Japan Focus on March 18, 2005.

Japan-South Korea ties on the rocks