SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Friday protested Japan's renewed territorial claims to the islets lying halfway between the two countries, called Dokdo by South Korea and Takeshima by Japan.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that the South Korean government strongly protests Japan's reiteration of unjust territorial claims to Dokdo in the foreign policy speech, delivered by its foreign minister to the Diet.

The ministry called for an immediate withdrawal of such claims, making it clear that Japan's unjust claims will have no impact whatsoever on South Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo.

It reaffirmed that South Korea will firmly respond to any provocations by Japan, stressing that Japan should realize that the repeated unjust claims over Dokdo, which is clearly an integral part of the South Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law, will be in no way conducive to building a future-oriented relationship between Seoul and Tokyo. ■