Japan Protests S. Korean Drills around Takeshima

August 25, 2019

Tokyo- Japan's Foreign Ministry on Sunday protested South Korean military drills around the disputed Sea of Japan islands of Takeshima that began on the day.

Kenji Kanasugi, director-general of the ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, telephoned a minister at the South Korean embassy in Tokyo to make a protest. Kanasugi also requested the drills be stopped.

"It is clear Takeshima is part of Japanese territory in light of historic facts and international law," Kanasugi told the minister. "The drills are totally unacceptable and very regrettable."

The minister conveyed Seoul's position on the islands, controlled by South Korea.

In Seoul, Taisuke Mibae, minister at the Japanese embassy there, lodged a similar protest with the South Korean Foreign Ministry. Jiji Press