Well, it&#x27;s not &quot;actively&quot; disputed in the sense Japan is not trying to take it by force, but from what I can tell Japan keeps making active noises every once in a while.<p>I mean, from their viewpoint, Japan <i>has</i> to.  Since South Korea has been practically controlling Dokdo pretty much since the nation was founded, if Japan remains silent they would be basically conceding that the battle is lost.<p>IMHO, what is a little less explicable is why some South Korean politicians wants to make a huge deal out of this.  I mean, we <i>own</i> it right now, and every day we sit on that piece of rock furthers our claim on it.  There is no need to advertise that there&#x27;s any border dispute going on.<p>But of course politicians trying to score cheap point by appealing to emotional nationalism is nothing new, isn&#x27;t it.