The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense each summoned officials from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on the 4th to protest Japan's description of Dokdo as its own territory in this year's defense white paper.
The Foreign Ministry summoned Chujo Kazuo, minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and issued a spokesperson's statement demanding that Japan immediately withdraw its territorial claim. "We strongly protest Japan's repeated unjust territorial claim over Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territory historically, geographically, and under international law, through its defense white paper," the statement said.
The ministry also stressed, "We make clear once again that the Japanese government's unjust claim has no effect whatsoever on our sovereignty over Dokdo," adding, "We will respond resolutely to any provocation by Japan concerning Dokdo."
The Defense Ministry also summoned Nagayoshi Takeshi, defense attaché at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to protest and urged Japan to immediately correct the territorial claim in the defense white paper and to halt such actions in the future.
The 2026 defense white paper released by Japan's Ministry of Defense that day stated that "the territorial issues over the Northern Territories (Japan's term for the four Kuril islands), Japan's inherent territory, and Takeshima (the name Japan claims for Dokdo) remain unresolved." Japan has repeated its territorial claim over Dokdo for 22 years, dating back to its 2005 defense white paper.
However, the Japanese government described Korea as "a partner that should jointly respond to the various challenges facing the international community, and an important neighboring country." This expression, first included in the 2024 defense white paper, has been maintained for a third consecutive year.
