"A solution without a solution." In 1965, a secret pact concluded between the leaders of Japan and South Korea quietly shelved the territorial dispute over the island of Takeshima (Dokdo), setting the course for normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Several well-known figures were active in the complex and convoluted political maneuvering and backroom negotiations that helped bring the pact to fruition. For the first time ever, this book—including personal accounts from those who were directly involved—reveals the painstaking work behind the scenes to mend the fraught relationship between Japan and South Korea by conceiving the most subtle of solutions. And yet the pact and all that it achieved would mysteriously be erased from history. How and why did this happen? Winner of the Asia Pacific Award, Japan, Korea, and the Takeshima Secret Pact is a fascinating look into the intricate process of mending diplomatic relations and the small island that was the center of it all.