Dokdo/Takeshima is a territory of Japan
Some Japanese scholars, however, dispute the conclusion of the Grand Council of State and interpret its edict differently. The Takeshima Research Center (竹島問題硏究所), an official arm of Shimane Prefecture, has been at the forefront in contending that Dokdo/Takeshima is a Japanese island. It claims that what is called "another island (外一島)" in the decision of the Grand Council of State did not refer to Matsushima (Dokdo/Takeshima). Because some Japanese people called Ulleungdo ‘Matsushima’, "another island" in the Grand Council’s decision thus refers to Ulleungdo, not Dokdo/Takeshima. The Takeshima Research Center then tries to read Grand Council’s edict: "The island (Ulleungdo) which sometimes is called Takeshima and sometimes called Matsushima is not Japan’s territory."72 In other words, "Takeshima and another island" refer to Ulleungdo by two different names, not to Takeshima and Dokdo/Takeshima. This interpretation can only be seen as a tortured reading of the text that defies common sense. Why would the Grand Council of State specifically state "another island" simply to repeat Takeshima (Ulleungdo)?