South Korea Lodges Diplomatic Protest Over Japan’s Renewed Claim to Disputed Dokdo Islets

SEOUL, Aug 4: South Korea on Tuesday lodged a strong diplomatic protest after Japan reaffirmed its claim to the disputed Dokdo islets in its latest annual defense white paper, escalating a long-running territorial dispute between the two neighbors.

According to South Korea's Foreign Ministry, Kazuo Tsuchiya, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, was summoned to receive the government's formal protest following the publication of Japan's annual defense report.

“The government strongly protests Japan’s repeated, unjust territorial claim to Dokdo and calls for its immediate withdrawal,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said. He stressed that the islets are “indisputably” South Korean territory based on “history, geography and international law.”

South Korea’s Defense Ministry also summoned Japan’s military attaché to lodge a separate protest over the renewed claim.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Japanese government approved and released its annual defense white paper after a Cabinet meeting, once again describing the disputed islets—known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan—as Japanese territory.

The sovereignty dispute over the rocky islets has remained one of the most contentious issues in relations between Seoul and Tokyo. Japan regularly reiterates its claim through official policy documents, public statements and school textbooks, while South Korea rejects the assertions and maintains that the islets are an integral part of its territory.

South Korea currently exercises effective control over the islets by maintaining a small police detachment there, reinforcing its administrative authority despite Japan’s continued claims.

The latest exchange underscores the enduring territorial tensions between the two countries, even as they cooperate on broader regional security and economic issues.