"Stories about Takeshima I heard from my grandfather Matsutaro Ishibashi," with commentary by Jun Sasaki, who lives in Okinoshima in Shimane prefecture.
June 26, 2020
The Japan Institute of International Affairs
The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) established the Japan Information Center Program in 2017 to offer a broad range of views on geostrategic, territorial and historical issues that Japan faces. The center conducts activities including 1) the collection, organization and public release of materials found in Japan and overseas, 2) organizing open symposiums in Japan and in other countries, and 3) research.
Since fiscal 2018, Associate Professor Rikinobu Funasugi of Shimane University's Faculty of Law and Literature has been carrying out research to shed light on what the fishing and seafood industry around Takeshima was like immediately before and after the island's incorporation into Shimane prefecture in 1905. The research includes the collection and analysis of historical documents mainly from the Okinoshima area related to Takeshima, as well as interviews.
To preserve the recollections of people who have direct knowledge of Takeshima, interviews with people to ties with Takeshima began in fiscal 2019. The interviews were filmed and work was begun to make the interviews available for public viewing. The first of these videos was posted on June 26 on YouTube. This is the first time that footage of an interview with a person familiar with life on Takeshima has been made public.
Details of the video are as described in Document 1. The contents of the document reflect the personal opinions of the writer and do not represent the positions or opinions of JIIA.
(Attachment)
Written by Associate Professor Rikinobu Funasugi, who specializes in historical geography, and who teaches at Shimane University's Faculty of Law and Literature.
Document 2: Photograph of Matsutaro Ishibashi (provided by the town of Okinoshima