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Japan's 2026 defense white paper reaffirms its disputed sovereignty claim over South Korea's Dokdo islets for the 22nd consecutive year while calling South Korea an important security partner.
Japan published its annual defense white paper on Aug. 5, describing South Korea as an important neighboring country and partner for the third consecutive year while repeating its territorial claim over the Dokdo islets for the 22nd year. South Korea’s Defense Ministry responded by summoning Japan’s defense attaché in Seoul and demanding an immediate correction.
North Korea warned Friday that a physical military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula had become "a matter of time," criticizing efforts to strengthen the U.S. military command in Japan, state-run media reported.
The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to step up cooperation against North Korea's illicit cyber activities during a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.