SEOUL, April 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korean government on Friday expressed strong regret over Japan's territorial claim on the disputed islets known as Dokdo in South Korea, and Takeshima in Japan in Tokyo's newly-released Diplomatic Bluebook for 2014.
Japan's repeated claims to Dokdo shows that the country never gets rid of its history of imperialist invasions, the ministry said in a statement, adding Japanese government must clearly notice that this move will not only damage bilateral ties, but also impair peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
The Diplomatic Bluebook for 2014, a latest version of Japan's foreign policy guidelines, has been released early on Friday. It identified the disputed islets as Japanese territory, pledging to push on resolving the territory issue through international law.
South Korea also condemned Japan's approval of revised local elementary school textbooks, which contain more "provocative" description of Japan's territorial claim to the disputed islets.
Seoul's foreign ministry is considering to call in Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koro Bessho to the ministry headquarters Friday afternoon to protest against Japan's territorial claims.
Ties between Seoul and Tokyo have been strained since Abe returned to power in December 2012. Abe infuriated its Asian neighbors by visiting the notorious Yasukuni Shrine in December 2013, as it honors 14 convicted class-A war criminals during World War II.
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