Japan Lodges Protest With S.Korea Over Drills Near Disputed Islands - Reports
Japan has lodged a protest through diplomatic channels over South Korean defense drills allegedly conducted last week near disputed islands in the Sea of Japan, Japanese media reported on Wednesday
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th December, 2021) Japan has lodged a protest through diplomatic channels over South Korean defense drills allegedly conducted last week near disputed islands in the Sea of Japan, Japanese media reported on Wednesday.
The Korean news agency Yonhap reported earlier on Wednesday, citing sources, that South Korea had conducted routine defense drills near the disputed islands last week. The drills were held in nearby waters and through computer simulations, and the troops did not set foot on the islands themselves, according to the source, Yonhap said. The South Korean defense ministry and the navy have not confirmed the information.
Japanese Kyodo news reported the same day that the Japanese government lodged a strong protest with South Korea via diplomatic channels. The Japanese defense ministry said that Japan will never accept such exercises and finds them "extremely regrettable," the news reported.
The Liancourt Rocks called Dokdo Islands by Seoul and Takeshima Islands by Tokyo lie almost equidistant from Japan and South Korea, which maintains a small police force there. For decades, the islands have been a bone of contention, with both sides claiming they have long-standing historical ties to the archipelago, believed to be rich in natural resources.