Japan is soon likely to reiterate its territorial claim over South Korea’s Dokdo islets in its defense white paper.

The Japanese government is scheduled to convene a Cabinet meeting next Tuesday and approve its 2012 defense white paper before its official release this month or early next month.

The paper is expected to include similar territorial claims over the South Korean islets in the East Sea made in last year’s paper.

Japan underlined in the 2011 report that the islets belong to Japan, explaining that the territorial dispute remains unsettled.

If Japan’s Defense Ministry maintains its claims, it will mark the eighth year for Japan to describe Dokdo as its territory in its defense white paper.