Taisuke Mibae, the deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, is seen at the Seoul foreign ministry, Feb. 22, after he was summoned by the South Korean government in protest of Japan's renewed territorial claim over Dokdo. Yonhap

Seoul strongly protested Japan's renewed territorial claim over Dokdo, Saturday, following an event held in Shimane Prefecture laying claim to South Korea's easternmost islets.

The foreign ministry expressed strong regret and delivered its position to Taisuke Mibae, the deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, after calling in the diplomat to the ministry to protest the event, officials said.

The government repeatedly urged Japan to "immediately abolish" the annual event.

"The Japanese government must immediately cease its unjust claims over Dokdo, which is historically, geographically, and under international law, clearly South Korean territory, and face history with humility," the ministry said in a statement issued by spokesperson Lee Jae-woong.

The so-called Takeshima Day event was held in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, where local authorities and officials reaffirmed Japan's claim over the islets.

Since 2013, the Japanese government has sent a senior official to the annual event, and this year, Eriko Imai, a parliamentary vice minister, attended.

Shimane Prefecture designated Feb. 22 as Takeshima Day in 2005, when it marked the 100th anniversary of Japan's unilateral incorporation of Dokdo into its administrative jurisdiction in 1905. (Yonhap)