TOKYO (Sputnik) – In the defense policy report for 2015, approved earlier in the day by the Japanese Defense Ministry, Japan described the Liancourt Rocks, or Takeshima, as part of its territory. The islands are claimed by Seoul and known as Dokdo in South Korea.
“The Ministry of National Defense voices strong protest against [Japan's] Defense White Paper for 2015 that describes our territory of the Dokdo islands as part of the Japanese territory and marks as Japanese on the map,” the statement published on the ministry website said.
The Liancourt Rocks have been administered by South Korea since 1954, but Japan disputes Seoul’s sovereignty over the territory.
