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SEOUL: A diplomatic row between South Korea and Japan flared up again on Friday after Tokyo renewed its claim to disputed islands in a new defence policy document.
The islands midway between the two countries, called Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, have for decades been a flashpoint in relations.
"We strongly protest at Japan's description of Dokdo as its territory in the defence white paper," foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young said in a statement.
"We call for the Japanese government's immediate measures to correct it."
In July Japan had announced new education guidelines reaffirming its claim to the islands, sparking angry protests from South Koreans.
Seoul has taken measures to cement its claims to the islands, including a military exercise nearby and a first-ever visit there by a South Korean prime minister.
Japan claimed the islands in 1905 after winning a war with Russia. It went on to annex the entire Korean peninsula from 1910 until its defeat in 1945 at the end of World War II.
South Korea says its ownership of the islets dates back centuries.
- AFP/yb
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