SEOUL, April 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Tuesday protested at Japan's renewed territorial claims to the disputed islets lying halfway between the two countries, called Dokdo by South Korea and Takeshima by Japan.

South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement that the government strongly protests against the Japanese government, which reiterated its unjust territorial claims to Dokdo through its diplomatic blue paper earlier in the day.

The ministry urged Tokyo to immediately retract its territorial claims as Dokdo is South Korea's indigenous territory in terms of history, geography and international law.

It noted that South Korea makes it clear once again that Japan's unjust claims will have no impact on South Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo, vowing to firmly respond to relevant issues.

Since 2005, Japan has laid territorial claims to the rocky outcroppings every year in its diplomatic blue and defense white papers.

South Korea restored its sovereignty over Dokdo after the Korean Peninsula's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonization. Seoul has since been in effective control of the islets, with a small police detachment deployed.

South Koreans regard Japan's territorial claims to the islets as a denial of colonial history as Dokdo was the very first territory that was forcibly occupied by Imperial Japan. Enditem

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