Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae emphasized on the 20th her commitment to "further strengthen relations" with South Korea. However, on the same day, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu repeated the baseless claim that "Takeshima (Japan's name for Dokdo) is Japan's inherent territory."
In her first policy speech to parliament after taking office at the National Diet Building in Tokyo, Prime Minister Takaichi stated regarding South Korea: "We will seek to further strengthen relations through candid exchanges of views based on the trust relationship between our leaders."
However, Japan reiterated its longstanding claim that Dokdo is Japanese territory. Foreign Minister Motegi asserted in his diplomatic address to parliament on the same day that "Takeshima is Japan's inherent territory both in light of historical facts and under international law." Japanese foreign ministers have made similar statements for 13 consecutive years since Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio referred to "Takeshima in Shimane Prefecture, Japan's inherent territory" in 2014.
In response, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a spokesperson's statement saying: "The government strongly protests the Japanese government's repeated unjust territorial claims over Dokdo through the foreign minister's diplomatic address to the National Diet, and calls for its immediate retraction." Kim Sang-hoon, Director-General for Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, summoned Matsuo Hirotaka, Minister for Political Affairs at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to the ministry building to convey a formal protest.