related: http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa021400a.htm

Unexpected Goog Map integration...I like it. It might be worth including in all your "geographic specific" posts.

Soooooo...South Korea manages it, we say it's South Korea's, South Korea has people living on it...yet Japan says it's theirs??? I'm confused.

Very interesting series of photographs!
Also a great touch with the Google Maps at the bottom.
I found that especially informative.

#15 is priceless. After seeing all these serious pictures of serious activity, you finally see the island at the end and it's TINY! As a Korean-American though, this definitely deserves some fight because let's face it, it's not about the island.

Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands (Viet Nam)
Do anyone know
More beautiful islands and more complicated dispute

thanks for including the map

I like the Google Maps idea as well.
More of that, please.

After spending a year living in South Korea, I understand this to be an issue of great concern for her people. Just as they are angered when the sea between Japan and Korea is called the "Sea of Japan." Koreans see it as the "East Sea" and the subject was brought up often over the course of my stay.

The only thing that riled Koreans into protest faster was when South Koreans were taken hostage in Iraq. It was refreshing to see people of all ages and walks of life protesting, and being treated with respect and dignity by the riot police. Perhaps they could train American police forces to act a bit more like them?

#2 looks photoshopped. The lighting on his face is all wrong.

#7 - seems S. Koreans are in the right here, but did you need to massacre birds to make your point?

Stupid

Typical politics. How many have died over these lumps of rock sticking out of the ocean? A complete waste of human life. Also, there are only two permanent residents, and they just happen to be Korean. Nobody really cares about the island, but saving political face.

I understand the history between Japan and South Korea, but they might want to take a hard look at their other neighbors.

Korea on the even days and Japan on the odd days.

If you don't clean up the island garbage on your day you lose visitation rights for a month.

Go to International Court of Justice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@10
#2 isn't photoshopped. The photographer used a fill flash.

#1 - wow, talk about a great kids playground. Or in my case an adults playground.

@10.

It looks like on camera fill flash to me.

Matt, photo #2 was taken using a fill flash. It can be a little tricky to get proper lighting in sunny conditions, and using a flash to light some of the darker areas can help compensate. It can give a distinct, unnatural-looking light source to foreground subjects.

It was very ice to include the map. Suprise!

The U.S. should claim the islands, and leave Japan and South Korea with nothing to fight over. One U.S. Marine would tackle the job, nicely.

To take the island is to take the marine near the island. So Korea and Japan have to stand face to face tightly. As a historical and geographical facts, the sovereignty of the island (Dokdo) ought to be affiliated with Korea. That's right & truthful. A foundation that Dokdo is belonging to Japan is a simple. Japan allege that Japan took up the no owner island while Russia-Japan War in 1905. But I'm so sorry, that island is belonging to Korea a long time ago. For these Korea's contention historical foundations are many. As yet, Japan is confined in a senility of imperialism. So most of Korean people is giving way to anger now.
And Japan government want that Dokdo is rising on an international dispute just like this article. why? Dokdo was only silent island in East Sea. This island is clearly not dispute region.

#10 � Photo number 2 is probably not photoshopped. Looks like it was shot was an off camera strobe.

Fascinating (if brief) pictorial about a dispute I'd never heard of before now. Also, one of the most pointless disputes I've heard of.

Pointless dispute until you find deep sea natural energy reserves underneath.

Two boys have an apple and both want to eat it. Split the apple so both can have a taste of it. Split the island! Put a wall up right in the middle!

Wait. What? Some random citizens chopped off their fingers to protest an international debate over ownership of these islands? Like, how the heck is that a "protest"? I mean, I could understand donating money to the cause, or joining the military, or protesting outside the Japanese embassy, or writing letters to world leaders or newspapers or whatever.

But decapitating birds and lopping off your own body parts? That's just a major wtf. I mean...how does that convince anyone of, well, anything? "Hey, you Japanese! Yeah, you guys! You better give up those islands or else I'm going to chop my leg off next! That will teach you not to mess with us!"

If I was a Japanese strategist I'd set up bingo games with my co-bureaucrats, timed with Japanese press releases, as to what body part we could induce people to chop off. "Left big toe? Bingo!"

Are you kidding me? All that for a couple of rocks? Geez... whats the importance of it?

Post number 21 infuriates me profoundly. When will Americans get the hang of it? You are not the kings of the universe.

I was stationed Korea in 1985 and the one thing I learned was that the Koreans are still pretty much pissed off at the Japanese, especially the older folk. The Koreans that I met couldn�t find a nice thing to say about the Japanese if you gave them all day. Also, Korean protesters don�t mess around. I remember seeing pictures of Korean protesters lighting themselves on fire and then jumping off buildings to get their point across, so chopping off a finger is probably small time to the Korean protest crowd. Of course, this was my humble and uninformed observation and does not apply to every single Korean, north or south. Oh yeah, great pictures.
raul briseno

it's not just around some rocks..
It's all about what underneath the sea. Japan/Korea can claim 200 miles off that island as economic zone. There is potential of under sea oil or natural gas reserve. That's the major reason why each country want to claim as its own.

One thing I still don't get why they need to behead the bird to protest. That's just brutal.

Typical pointless, nationalistic ego. What a waste of effort and resources and pheasants and fingers. What I don't get is the position of the people who live on the island and how they can side with either country in the face of such childish politics. If it were me, I'd say "screw both of you" and declare sovereignty as a new micronation. Why either country should have a claim over this place, and why the people who live there agree with such a stupid notion (and so passionately!) is beyond me.

@21
So childish (not to say you're a moron).

The only thing USA will achieve with people like you is pissing off the rest of the world.
Sadly for other american people, it's quite already done.

I have been following the Big Picture almost since its beginning (in June) and I want to say that this is truly a magnifiscent piece of work ! Thank you for this wonderful photography !
Like the others comments, I just wanted to say that the Google maps is a very good idea and you should keep it when possible !
A French Guy

I don't think Jason Kaplan (Post 29) knows a joke when he sees it.

nice photos and nice topic!! this is heaps better than the so-called 'nikon/cnn' exclusive, those tiny photos are a total waste of time

why can't we all just get along?

#11: Supernaturally healthy teeth for people living 200+ km from the nearest dental clinic. Aside from this, it's amazing how governments sare still trying to keep people focused on subjects of no practical value.

Looking to the map, I would say that for the governments the dispute is more about the sea rights that about the islands. In the map the islands are on the extreme of the continental platform of Japan, so the rights would extend to half the distance between the islands and the coast of Japan. If they were in Japanese hands, the rights would be Japanese until half the distance between these islands and the other island that is across a deep water channel. So the possession of these 46 acres means the rights (fishing, ship passing, mineral, etc) over an huge area.
The fact that there have been bloody wars between the two for centuries almost millennium, and that the invasion of japan before and during the World War Two was very hard just give the emotional edge and the popular support that the photographs document.

Great Pictures.
The opinions shared thus far is missing the point. Dokdo has been Korean island with its citizens using (fishery) and living there.
The scale is different, but the outrage is the same as, say Koreans were to lay claim to the Nagasaki Island one day, and say that historic Korean ownership existed in the past and declares the now Japanese island as its own.
If the historical ownership of Dokdo is not sufficient, then the end of WW II decided current and modern ownership of Dokdo, which is no different than US's ownership of now California, etc, etc, etc.

The japanese sea, the english channel (La Manche for the French) or even the people of the United States calling themselves "the American" when it is clearly the name for anybody living in the Americas.
We should let those details apart. In 2009, I guess it is time for the human race to be able to discuss through diplomacy, which is still the best way not to fight and make war. We say we are intelligent, then we should prove it. I think the Island should be manage commonly between both countries and become a sign of aggrement. They could separate the profit made from oil income, if there is... I know where there is money and passion there is war. This could be the exeption!

There TWO islands... and TWO countries fighting... seems easy to me to find a friendly solution...

Two facts that I was told, and know about these islands.

In 1954, as a part of "Treaty of San Francisco (Treaty of Peace with Japan)", Korea had asked Japan for their ownership of the islands, but it was denied.
Ever since, they had put their military there to take over the islands without any agreement.

Since that year, Japan has asked Korea many times to let the International Court of Justice take care of the problem, but Korea has been refusing to do so.

I'd say, let both countries have the islands, as a part of their symbols for a new friendship.

Great photos as always!

A perfect example of: http://abstrusegoose.com/122

Fabulous photos as always...

http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/takeshima/pdfs/pmp_10issues.pdf

I say we tell both countries "If you can't play nicely with each other we're going to take your toys away."

And if they don't we divert one load of bombs from Iraq and sink the islands into the ocean.

(Jason, I'm joking)

When zooming out a bit one can clearly see, that the island is on the Japanese plate, so I'd say it's Japans. But what do I care.
Blow up the friggin piece of rock, it's not worth fighting for.

Interesting pictures though!

What a bunch of freaks! Cutting pheasant's head's off on the Japanese flag? How childish! LOL.

sorry #45�@http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/takeshima/pamphlet_e.pdf

Forgive me, but this seems very heavily from the S. Korean perspective. Were the Japanese so closed about the subject?

"When zooming out a bit one can clearly see, that the island is on the Japanese plate, so I'd say it's Japans. But what do I care."

Hahaha, you don't want to jump into this debate like that... even ignoring the Korean frenzy over protecting their ownership of these two barely inhabitable rocks, the current debate is based on 500 years of maps from both nations which never fail to be both ambiguous and confusing. Click the link below for some excellent analysis:

http://dokdo-or-takeshima.blogspot.com/

I like if you zoom out the google map there is a place in Japan called 'Fuk - u - oka?'

Malvinas are Argentinian and even though english sais they are theirs...

Dokdo is a Korean territory.
Japan's claim is completely wrong.

there are much better things to be fighting for. if neither is willing to share, or be fair, neither should get it.

foto Dokdo Korean

46. Hello O_o It's none of your business buddy =]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule

a little more insight on the sometimes tense relations between korea and japan...it wasn't that long ago

Amazing that country fight for such littles islets!!!
But so different exemple like that around the world, Spain and Marocco dispute Ceuta & Melilla,

great human stupidity

Once a country is admitted to have the ownership of the small rocks, he will also has the privilege to exploit the ocean resources besides the rocks. That's the key of the conflict, profit.

If the islands are Korean, it's hard to understand why Korea refuses to allow a neutral arbiter (the International Court of Justice) to decide the issue once and for all. It's also amusing that Koreans engage in self-mutilation, violent protest, and teach their children angry anti-Japanese rhetoric, yet in Japan even Takeshima Day itself went by with barely a raised eyebrow.

Could this perhaps be another instance of an Asian nation holding petty issues against Japan because of lingering resentment over historical grievances (as China frequently does)? All of the amputated fingers, beheaded birds and hyper-patriotic protests in the world won't change history, so perhaps Korean interests would be better served by working with Japan on areas of shared interest (such as denuclearizing the Korean peninsula) and avoiding childish diplomatic squabbles over two barren rocks of no serious value whatsoever.

Having lived in Korea for four years I get this shoved down my throat everywhere. From "Dokdo is ours" stickers in buses to newspapers putting a photo of the Liancourt Rocks on their front covers whenever possible. Notice the 'bias' in this article is mainly from the Korean side... because in their quest to claim the Liancourt Rocks they insist and insist, taking ever more extreme and desperate measures to be heard. Cutting the throat of the national bird on the flag of another country... and this is a nation that wishes to be seen as thriving industrial powerhouse, or as most people insist over here a 'developed' country. Good Luck. Call them Liancourt. Expel the residents and have no-one claim sovereignty, then everyone can get on with their lives.

Great Pictures.
Dokdo is a Korean territory.

It's my islands :o)

@62: not taking sides about the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute - but your analysis of lingering resentment in Asian countries out of Japan sounds really cheap. Scorn does not strengthen your point. Korean rhetorics on this matter may seem laughable and maybe they are. But the point is, if Japan had the decency to acknowledge and apologize for crimes committed, once and for all, and was clear in its stance against negationnists, then indeed the past would be past and discussion between trustworthy neighbours would become possible at last. Sending everyone back to back whatever the wrongs is all too easy.

There are so many Korean militarism/Fasist here.�@They spoiled strong propaganda on their school like Pol pot and Tuti-futu or Natiz, to promote hostility and prejudice toward Japan from Kindergarden with untrue propaganda. Those who claimed Korea's brainwash and fasism tendency, they lose their job because Korea is totalism no-democrats. So they believes Liancourt Rocks is their territory with wrong theory. Google "Korea" "School" "Education" "Brainwash""kindergarden" and you can realize what is going on in fasism republic of south Korea.

#10: I agree, Photo #2: look at the binoculars!!

Japan only claim it theirs for the fishing rights...if there were no viable commercial marine life near this area then they wouldn't care less about Dokdo islands.

Dokdo Islands => Korea

I'm glad I took the time to read the comments posted by others. At first I thought this seemed like a stupid, unnecessary squabble over a bunch of rocks that simply represented old grudges. I didn't realize ownership of the islands meant the winning nation would have rights to any natural resources within 200 miles. That kind of information should be noted in the introduction to this piece. Otherwise, it's misleading.

It's surprising that some posters on here are so simple minded to think that this argument is simply over land. If you can't see past the island itself and what it would mean to each country, you need to educate yourselves.

Similar disputes are happening all over the world. Take Canada and Denmark, many people aren't aware that they both lay claim to a incredibly small island in the Nares Straight. While the islands in all these disputes may seem worthless, they are an incredible resource, simply because they extend the alleged boundary of said countries.

The Nares Straight dispute will be one of many that Canada will have to deal with in upcoming years, as the Arctic waterways increasingly open up.

split?! seems to be to too easy...
crazy world

Further proof that world peace is an impossibility and that the natural state of human beings is to be always at conflict, no matter how asinine the issue.

The thing is: Its not just a bunch of rocks.

As some comments pointed out before, who owns this islets, owns 200 miles of the maritime ground around them.

But its not about oil or natural gas. Its bigger: Methane hydrates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_clathrate

The exact size of the oceanic methane clathrate reservoir is unknown, but it is estimated to be substantially larger than any other natural gas sources.

Commercial exploration will probably be very important in a not so distant future. Japan has already started a big research program.

There is a thing called sharing. Why not sit and talk over roasted pheasants and sake? We have similar issue with New Zealand's claim over Tasmania. At the moment we're still negotiating on how much we have to pay them to take it.

Why doesn't Korea sue Japan for illegal occupation?
Because they are quite sure that they will lose a case
There's no histrical background that Korea has a right to occupy the island

Declare them independent.

As a Japanese, I don't understand why Korean people get mad about this tiny island... we don't really care about it... paint it or do whatever you want.

Dokdo is a Korean�@Fiction territory.
Japan's claim is completely wrong.
Takeshima is a Japanese territory.

There are very many South Koreans.

Yeah, Laugh, laugh hard as you can.

You laugh because you don't give a damn about these people.

It is a comparatively new story that this territorial issue has come out.
To make the accomplished fact, the South Korean migrated later.
It is originally an uninhabited island.

It is the Korean national sport to insist on the origin.