South Korea has joined China in opposing Japan's 2016 defense white paper, a policy document Tokyo is using to justify its efforts to move away from an isolated and pacifistic defense posture to a more active one.
SEOUL'S OBJECTIONS
South Korea on Tuesday lodged a strong protest against Japan's repeated territorial claims on its easternmost islets, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, lying halfway between the two countries.
Seoul's Defense Ministry called in a defense attache from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest against the white paper, in which the islets are described as Japan's territory.
It marked the 12th consecutive year since 2005 that Japan has claimed sovereignty over the islets in the annual paper.
The ministry expressed deep regrets over the Japanese government in its protest letter, delivered to the summoned attache, saying Japan must immediately stop making useless claims, squarely face history and make efforts to open a new future for relations between South Korea and Japan.
The protest letter said that South Korea's military will take strong actions against any Japanese attempt to damage South Korea's sovereignty over the Dokdo islets.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry also summoned an official from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, lodging an official protest against the annual white paper.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that South Korea strongly protests against Japan's unjust territorial claims on the Dokdo islets, which it said are its indigenous territory historically, geographically and according to international laws.
The statement called on Japan to squarely face historical facts and immediately stop making groundless claims, saying Japan must make efforts to move toward a new future for South Korea-Japan relations based on trust.
HYPING UP "CHINA THREAT"
In the 480-page white paper, Japan devoted some 30 pages to making irresponsible remarks on China's national defense and its normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas.
Analysts believed that by playing up the so-called "China threat," the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is attempting to make excuses for amending the postwar pacifist constitution and building up Japan's military.
On Wednesday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China is "strongly dissatisfied" with the paper's groundless accusations against China's defense development and military activities.
