Japan protests S. Korea military drill near Takeshima

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan has strongly protested against a recent drill held by the South Korean military for the defense of the disputed Sea of Japan islands of Takeshima in Shimane Prefecture, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Takehiro Funakoshi, director general of the ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, telephoned a minister at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo and lodged the protest against the South Korean action.

“As Takeshima is clearly Japan’s inherent territory in light of historical facts and under international law, we cannot accept it,” Funakoshi said.

The Japanese Embassy in Seoul made a similar protest to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.