Asia-Pacific

S.Korea, Japan to conduct survey on radioactive waste

(AP)
Updated: 2006-09-09 13:29

South Korea and Japan have agreed to conduct a joint marine survey of radioactive waste near islets claimed by both countries, South Korean officials said Saturday.

The survey is aimed at determining the level of radioactive pollution from nuclear waste dumped by the former Soviet Union, the Foreign Ministry said.

During working-level talks on Friday, South Korea and Japan agreed in principle to conduct the survey near the islets that lie in waters roughly halfway between the two countries, the ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site.

South Korea and Japan conducted a similar survey 1994-95 with Russia and the United Nation's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the ministry said.

The islets,called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, are at the center of a long-simmering territorial feud between the two countries. Seoul effectively controls the rocky outcroppings, but Tokyo also claims ownership over them.

The two countries will work out details of the survey, including its timing and location, in the near future, the ministry said.

Earlier this week, the two neighbors failed to agree on setting their sea borders, with both sides demanding to use the islets as a basis for their respective claims to exclusive rights over the rich fishing grounds and possible deposits of methane hydrate, which can be used to produce natural gas.

In April, South Korea dispatched gunboats to fend off an attempt by Japan to survey the same waters. South Korea views such surveys as efforts to bolster Japan's claims.