the takeshima or dokdo islands are located 150 kilometers northwest from shimane prefecture. there's two main eyelets and several dozen smaller rocks. the japanese government stated in 1905 that the islands fell under shimane's jurisdiction and named them takeshima. they adopted a ordinance in 2005, the 100th anniversary of japan's claim. they declared february 22nd the day the eyelets came under their jurisdiction and called it takeshima. south korean leaders is refuted the claim for many years. they took action to control the territory in 1954. members of the coast guard landed on the islands and started building several facilities. that same year japanese officials proposed that the two countries jointly take the matter to the international court of justice. the south koreans refused. they said no territorial dispute existed. in 1962 the japanese proposed for a second time to bring the case before the court. south korea again refused. >>> japan's finance minister is hinting at the possibility of canceling some foreign exchange agreements with south korea. at a news confere

the takeshima or dokdo islands are in the shimane prefecture. there's two main eye lets and several other smaller rocks. the japanese government stated in 1905 that the islands fell under shimane's jurisdiction and named them takeshima. they adopted an ordinance in 2005, the 100th anniversary of japan's claim. they declared february 22nd the day the eyelets came under their jurisdiction and called it takeshima day. south korean leaders have refuted japan's claim for many years. they took action to control the territory in 1954. members of the coast guard landed on the islands and started building several facilities. that same year japanese official proposed that the two countries jointly take the matter to the international court of justice. the south korean refused. they said no territorial dispute existed. in 1962 the japanese proposed for a second time that they bring the case before the court. south korea again refused. >>> japan's finance minister is hinting at the possibility of canceling some foreign exchange agreements with south korea.

south korea calls the islets dokdo and claims them. and on a different question, when they were asked about the diet's recent enactment of bills to raise the consumption tax and reform social security, 48% of respondents said they approve. the same proportion expressed disapproval. the support rate for prime minister yoshihiko noda and his cabinet stood at 28%, up one point from last month. the disapproval rate stayed at 56%. >>> people in japan are holding on to their money. consumer spending has almost stalled. the latest gdp figures show growth in the world's third largest economy, but the pace has slowed to a crawl. the cabinet office says april through june quarter growth reached 0.3% or 1.4% in annualized terms. demand was down from the previous quarter. public investment rose by 1.7% helped by reconstruction in areas hit last year by tsunami. government subsidies spurred demand for eco-friendly vehicles. still, personal consumption only edged up 0.1%. corporate capital investment increased by 1.5%, and housing investment was up

the south koreans call the islands dokdo, the japanese call them takeshima. lee told leaders of the national assembly he had been planning to visit them since 2009. he said bad weather prevented him from doing so last year. lee said he decided to go ahead with the visit after a meeting last december with japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda. noda demanded the removal of a monument to south korean women forced to work in brothels during world war ii. the monument stands in front of the japanese embassy in seoul. lee said he was unhappy with noda's reluctance to resolve the issue. he said he had anticipated the japanese react tuion to his vis. a poll in south korea suggests 85% of the public approved of the trip. 12% disapproved. >>> some south koreans are showing their support by swimming to the islets. about 40 people set out on monday morning from south korea's eastern coast. rock star kym jang-hoo is taking part, along with students from the korea national sport university. they'll take turns swimming legs of the 220 kilometer trip. they'll aim to arrive

the islands are called takeshima in japan and dokdo in south korea. both countries claim sovereignty over them. the swimmers set out monday morning from gyeonsangbuk-do on south korea's eastern coast. singer kim jang-hoon is one of those taking part, along with those from the korea national sport university. they'll take turns swimming legs of the 220-kilometer trip. they aim to arrive on wednesday on the anniversary of korea's liberation from japan's colonial rule. the swimmers will stream video of their attempt on the internet. relations between the two countries have soured since south korean president lee myung-bak visited the islands last week. some in his country are pushing him to strengthen south korea's territorial claim. japanese government officials say they are considering taking legal action at the international court of justice. >>> an nhk monthly poll suggests a majority of japanese worry about lee a visit to the islands. it could negatively affect japan/south korea relations. nhk surveyed 1,639 people aged 20 or over from friday to sun

>> but japan still has territorial disputes with south career over the the island of takeshima or dokdo and a dispute with china over islands. japan's relationship with its neighbors remains fragile. bbc news, tokyo. >> still to come on gmt, is normality on its way to somalia with a new constitution, parliament, and president. we will speak with the current prime minister. just over three years since the army and sri lanka decided to crush the militants. our correspondent charles haviland has been to a narrow strip of land that became the tamil tigers' last bastion. >> this is where the final bloody battle was fought in 2009. thousands of people perished in this place. since the end of the war, the area has been off-limits to journalists. after several requests, the bbc has been granted permission to come here to see extraordinary sights like thousands of burned out vehicles that you see behind me. some of these ordinary people's vehicles, small cars, rickshaws. some of them were trucks used by the tamil tiger militants. just across from here, a. poignant sight that is thousands of dest

south korea controls the islets and calls them dokdo. no da's letter asks for both sides to settle the dispute peacefully and in accordance with international law. his government wants to bring the issue before the international court of justice. but the south korean government refused to accept the letter. officials there sent it back to japan's foreign ministry by registered mail. no da is planning to talk about the territorial issue later on friday. he's also expected to speak about a group of islands in the east china sea. japan controls the territory and calls it senkaku. china and taiwan claim the islands as their own. >>> the territorial dispute is just one issue creating friction between japan and south korea. lee myung bak's comments about the japanese emperor are causing a stir. the president said emperor akihito should offer a heartfelt apology to koreans who died fighting for independence from japan before he visits south korea. senior south korean official says the japanese government is overreacting. the official argues lee

they're called takeshima in japan and dokdo in south korea. in the letter noda says japan proposes the two countries resolve the matter peacefully according to international law. he urged south korea to act cautiously with the broad view of bilateral relations. a south korean government official told nhk that the letter has got the facts wrong. south korean media reported that the government is not happy with japan calling the territory by its japanese name. asked about south korea's decision to return his letter, noda said he learned about it in the news and didn't have further knowledge of the matter. >>> a controversial u.s. military transport aircraft could arrive in okinawa soon. the top commander of the u.s. marine corps in japan has indicated that the osprey could be sent to okinawa by the middle of next month. the aircrafts are currently at iwakuni base in yamaguchi prefecture, western japan. >> it all depends on when we get the approval of the japanese government. so i would like to say that it would be by the middle of september that

the island are called takeshima in japan and dokdo in seoul. >> translator: this territorial dispute will only be resolved once japan accepts the islets are south korea's territory and should be fully prepared for this issue. >> japan launched a strong protest after south korea's president lee myung-bak visited the islands on august 10th. >>> south korea's red cross says it will give $100,000 in aid to north korea. thousands in the country are reportedly suffering after recent heavy rain and floods. the funds are for tents, food and sanitation. north korean state-run media say heavy rain from june to july caused floods in many parts of the nation. they say 169 people died and 400 are missing. downpours have been affecting pyongyang and other areas since last week. south korean government officials say they've yet to decide on aid to the north. they say they are confirming the extent of flood damage. >>> people across japan were glued to their tv during the london olympics. the country had its most successful games with 38 medals, including seven golds. now the medalists are home and

the south koreans refer to them as dokdo. south korea controls the islands. the japanese government maintains they are japanese territory. government officials say a visit by the south korean president would seriously damage relations. they say japan will react strongly if the visit goes ahead. >> to mark the occasion a landmark ceremony took place at the site of a former u.s. base now heavily polluted by dion. here's our report from danan. >> it's been 37 years since the war ended. u.s. and bed lambist government wills finally work together to clean up asian agents used in combat. it's a historic moment for people on both sides. >> the u.s. and vietnam it are moving earth right here and taking the first steps to bury the legacies of our past. this morning we celebrate a milestone in our bilateral relationship. >> reporter: the u.s. government has provided $43 million to eliminate the dioxin left behind from the production of agent orange in parts of what is now tanan international airport. in the four-year project more than 70,000 cubic meters of soil will b

the south koreans control a set of islets they called dokdo. the japanese say the territory belongs to them. they call it takeshima. president lee flew to the islands accompanied by his environment and culture ministers. a senior south korean official stationed there briefed lee on the situation. he also inspected coast guard facilities and an observatory deck. he left after one and a half hours. experts on the issue say lee's trip will hurt japan/south korea's relations. >>> prime minister noda reacted sharply to lee's visit to the islands. >> translator: takeshima is japan's inherent territory, historically and based on international law. the visit by south korea's president was unacceptable. the japanese government is adamant on this issue. >> the noda administration has launched a protest against the visit with south korea's ambassador to japan. it has also ordered its ambassador in seoul to temporarily return to tokyo. lee made the trip as south koreans are getting ready for a presidential election scheduled for december. many have critici

the islands are called takeshima in japan and dokdo in south korea. >> translator: this territorial dispute will only be resolved once japan accepts the islets are south korea's territory. we should be fully prepared for this issue. >> japan launched a strong protest after south korean president lee myung-bak visited the islands on august 10th. >>> u.s. and south korean troops are training together to prepare for the possibility of war with north korea. north korean leaders have condemned the action. about 56,000 south korean and 30,000 u.s. troops are testing countermeasures. they are testing out what they will do if north korean forces attack south korea. a north korean foreign ministry spokesperson said the drill is a provocation. north korean state media reported kim jong un visited the military, speaking to troops on the island of pyongyang in 2010. kim told the servicemen, north korea will fight a sacred war for national reunification if enemies fire on its territory. >>> south korea's red cross says it'll give $100,000 in aid to north korea. thousands in the country are reportedly su