Whither Takeshima?

A US government body, the Board on Geographic Names (BGN), made another about-face on Takeshima. Only a few days ago, the board changed the status of the islets from a South Korean territory to a disputed one. Now, facing a fierce protest from South Korea, it reverted to its earlier position. I’m more than 100% sure that the board will not change it again unless the Japanese government strongly protests. And any protest on the part of the government is not forthcoming. Down the road, the South (and North too) Koreans would say, “Hey, look. Even the US government recognizes and accepts our claim. To which country it belongs is clear and this is a settled matter.” The official position of the US government has been that it does not involve in this issue as it is a bilateral between Japan and South Korea.

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Two or three days ago, I had a dream of “my wife and kid.” As far as I remember, it was my first dream of my “own” family. I don’t recognize the woman, who “played” the part, and whether the baby was a boy or girl. The only thing I’m certain of is that the baby was not growing up as he/she should have, and my “wife” and I were very concerned. She was almost apologizing to me as she thought the problem with the baby was her own creation. Of course I was not blaming her. We were together.