The Japanese Cabinet finalized at a meeting on Friday its Diplomatic Bluebook for this year, reiterating its territorial claims to South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.

A Japanese foreign ministry official says that statements on Dokdo in the diplomatic report are the same as last year.

Last year’s annual report stated that a territorial dispute exists between South Korea and Japan over the islets, but that Tokyo's consistent stance is that Dokdo is historically and by international law Japanese territory.

Japan's Diplomatic Bluebook is the equivalent of South Korea's Diplomatic White Paper.

The Seoul government says it will sternly deal with Japan.