1. The government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) strongly protests against the Japanese government’s reiteration of unjust territorial claims over Dokdo, clearly an integral part of the ROK’s territory in terms of history, geography and international law, in the “Defense of Japan 2020” released on July 14, and calls for an immediate withdrawal of such claims.

2. The Japanese government should be aware that reiterating unjust and preposterous claims over Dokdo is in no way conducive to the ROK-Japan relationship.

3. The ROK government makes clear once again that the Japanese government’s unjust claims do not have any impact on the ROK’s sovereignty over Dokdo, an integral part of the ROK’s territory, and that it will respond sternly to any provocation over Dokdo.