Japan protests South Korean military drills near disputed islets

Japan's government said Thursday it lodged a strong protest with South Korea over military drills conducted in waters near remote islets in the Sea of Japan that are controlled by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo.Masaaki Kanai, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, told the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo that the exercises were "totally unacceptable and extremely regrettable," the government said.The islets, called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, are "clearly an integral part of Japanese territory in light of historical facts and international law,…READ FULL ARTICLE