Japan has lodged a protest over South Korean military exercises conducted on Friday near disputed Sea of Japan islands known as Takeshima in Japan, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general of the ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, protested to Kim Yong-gil, minister at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo, saying that the islands are an inherent part of Japanese territory historically and under international law.
“The exercises by the South Korean military are absolutely unacceptable and very regrettable,” Funakoshi told Kim.

Kim indicated his country’s stance over the matter.

The islands, located off Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, are effectively controlled by South Korea, which calls them Dokdo.

It was the first South Korean military exercises conducted near the islands since December and since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May.

The exercises were held on a reduced scale and with no landings on the islands, according to South Korean media.

JIJI Press