Seoul, May 15 (IANS): South Korea on Tuesday denounced Japan for its repeated territorial claims to Dokdo islets, called Takeshima in Japan, lying halfway between the two countries.

Seoul's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it strongly protests against the Japanese government repeating its illegitimate sovereignty over Dokdo islets, which it claims to be an indigenous territory of South Korea, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement strongly urged Japan to immediately drop the claim which was laid through Japan's annual diplomatic report, the Diplomatic Blue Paper.

It said that "Japan's futile claim will have no influence on South Korea's sovereignty over the islets", which it said is part of South Korea's territory historically, geographically and under international law.

South Korea restored its sovereignty over the Dokdo islets after its liberation in 1945 from the Japanese colonization. Seoul has since maintained a small police detachment there.