Japan's foreign minister said Wednesday he will reappoint Tokyo's ambassador to Seoul, and gauge the reaction to measures taken to protest a recent visit by South Korea's president to disputed islands before deciding on further action.
日本外务大臣周三说，日本驻韩国大使将重返首尔，日本还将评估在日方为抗议韩国总统登上日韩争议岛屿而采取一系列措施后韩国方面的反应，然后再决定是否采取进一步行动。'We will look at South Korea's reaction calmly and see if they act prudently with the future of our relationship in mind before making a final decision' on further measures, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said at a news conference. Mr. Gemba said the decision to have the ambassador return to his post was made Tuesday, as someone was needed to be on hand to coordinate the situation.
日本外务大臣玄叶光一郎(Koichiro Gemba)在新闻发布会上说，我们将冷静研究韩国的反应，看看他们是否能着眼于日韩关系的未来而审慎行事，然后再决定是否采取进一步措施。玄叶光一郎说，让日本驻韩国大使返回首尔的决定是周二做出的，因为需要有人在韩国坐镇协调此事。Relations with South Korea have been strained since President Lee Myung-bak visited the islands between the two countries earlier this month. Mr. Lee also said Japan's emperor should apologize for South Koreans who died fighting the Japanese in the past.
自从本月早些时候韩国总统李明博(Lee Myung-bak)登上韩日争议岛屿以来，两国关系便一直处于紧张状态。李明博说，日本天皇应该向过去为抗击日本人而牺牲的韩国人道歉。
Tokyo temporarily recalled its ambassador on Aug. 10 in protest over the visit.
为抗议李明博登岛，东京8月10日临时召回了驻韩国大使，。The Korea-controlled islands are referred to as Dokdo by South Korea and Takeshima by Japan. They are also known as the Liancourt Rocks.
争议岛屿现为韩国所控，在韩国叫做“独岛”(Dokdo)，在日本叫“竹岛”(Takeshima)，在国际上还被称作利扬库尔岩(Liancourt Rocks)。On Tuesday, Tokyo formally asked South Korea to jointly submit a request to the International Court of Justice to look into the issue. Seoul has rejected the request.
周二，东京正式要求韩国同意日韩两国将岛屿之争共同提交至海牙国际法庭(International Court of Justice)，首尔拒绝了这个要求。