Japanese press has reported that Japan’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Gemba Koichiro, has discarded his favorite Kara CD due to the growing dispute between Korea and Japan over the Dokdo Islands.

According to an August 29 article by Japan’s weekly magazine, Women’s Confidence, Japan’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Gemba Koichiro, tearfully discarded his favorite Kara CD following the growing escalation between Korea and Japan over the Dokdo issue.

Following South Korean president, Lee Myung Bak’s unprecedented visit to the Dokdo Islands on August 10, the Japanese government voiced its opposition to the visit and to President Lee’s remarks as the issue began ballooning in intensity. According to the article, after personal deliberation, Secretary Gemba Koichiro decided to painfully discard his Kara albums.

It’s no secret that Secretary Gemba Koichiro is an avid K-Pop fan who has, in the past, demonstrated he even knows all the names of the Kara and SNSD members and had even planned to attend some of Kara’s upcoming album promotions in September.

However, with the sensitive political and territorial issue growing between the two nations, Gemba Koichiro was forced to make his pained personal decision, said the article.

The growing dispute over the Dokdo Islands has already seen a few of Japan’s politicians seeking a ban and boycott of K-Pop and related products.

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