South Korea voiced "deep regret" on Friday over Japan's renewed claim to the Dokdo islets in the Sea of Japan.
The statement, issued by the South Korean foreign ministry, came in response to the Japanese claim in an annual defense white paper released by Japan's Defense Ministry earlier in the day.
The South Korean-controlled islets are known as Takeshima in Japan.
"We express deep regret and call for an immediate retraction because (the claim) is not helpful for Korea-Japan relations," the statement said.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20100911p2g00m0dm002000c.html