Two South Korean demonstrators cut off their fingers outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul yesterday to protest Tokyo's territorial claim to a set of islets controlled by South Korea.
The protest follows a proposal by Japanese provincial lawmakers to establish a commemoration day to bolster Tokyo's claim to the small islands, called Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan. The lawmakers are set to vote on the measure tomorrow.
An ambulance quickly took away a middle-aged woman who sliced off her finger with a cutter. Another protester who also cut off his finger was removed by police.
Riot police sprayed fire extinguishers to disperse the protesters, who complained of what they called the South Korean government's "lukewarm" response to the Japanese claims.
Also yesterday, Japan said its ambassador to South Korea has been called back temporarily to Tokyo.
Ambassador Toshiyuki Takano returned to Tokyo on Sunday to "brief officials on the current situation and how to respond," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said.
Hosoda refused to specify the reason for Takano's return. The diplomat infuriated South Koreans last month by saying the islets are "historically and legally part of the Japanese territory."
His remarks about the islets, called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korea, set off a series of protests in South Korea.
The volcanic islets, which lie between the two countries in the Sea of Japan, are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and have long caused diplomatic friction between South Korea and Japan. South Korea has stationed a small detachment of police on the otherwise uninhabited islets, effectively controlling them.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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