Republic of Korea (ROK)'s maritime police will conduct a defense drill for its easternmost islets of Dokdo next week amid lingering tension with Japan, which also lays claim to them, reported Yonhap on Sunday.

The drill, scheduled for May 17, will be staged within 6 miles northwest of the volcanic outcroppings in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, said a joint statement by the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency and Donghae (Ease Sea) Coast Guard.

The statement said the ROK navy will assist the training by providing technical and other information.

It will be the first Dokdo-related drill under new guidelines set by the presidential National Security Council in September last year, Yonhap said. The guidelines call for step-by-step measures to be taken when the security of the islets is threatened.

The islets, called "Takeshima" in Japan, have been at the center of a territorial row between Seoul and Tokyo. Tension rose anew after a Japanese provincial council adopted a resolution earlier this year to designate "Takeshima Day" on its calendar.

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2005)