Japan has renewed its claim to South Korea’s Dokdo islets in the East Sea in its annual defense white paper.

In the white paper, released Tuesday, the Japanese government referred to the islets by the Japanese name Takeshima and described them as Japanese territory along with the Kuril Islands, which Russia controls.

It said issues related to Dokdo and the Kuril Islands remain unresolved.
 
Japan has asserted its territorial claim over Dokdo in its defense white paper every year since 2005.

Japan also described South Korea as “an important neighboring country" with which Japan needs to cooperate as a partner in responding to various challenges in the international community.

This phrasing was first introduced in last year’s edition of the white paper.