Japan, South Korea Spar Over Islets

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444318104577584622277894322.html

The islets are about halfway between the two countries. Historical texts show them to have mostly been associated with Korea; however, Japan asserted control of them during its colonial expansion a century ago. South Korea has controlled them with a small police presence since 1954.

The dispute is one of several territorial quarrels between Japan and its neighbors. Japan controls a set of islands known as Senkaku, also claimed by China, where they are known as Diaoyu. Japan claims Russian-controlled islands known in Russia as the Southern Kurils; Japan calls them the Northern Territories. In late 2010, then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the island closest to the Japanese mainland, sparking a protest similar to the one Japan leveled at South Korea this weekend.

The most recent sparring between Japan and South Korea appeared to be prompted by Japan's release on July 31 of an annual defense white paper restating its claims to the territory. Tokyo's assertion is an annual ritual that typically provokes criticism from Seoul—and did two weeks ago.