South Korea called on Japan Friday to drop its reckless claim to sovereignty over a pair of rocky islets in the East Sea.

It was responding to a Tokyo speech by Japan's top diplomat Fumio Kishida. He reiterated that Dokdo belong to Japan and said his government will deliver the position constantly.

In a statement, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said it can't help deploring Kishida's repeat of such an "unfair claim."

"(We) urge the Japanese government to immediately abandon its reckless claim to Dokdo, which is South Korea's indigenous territory," it said.

It showed that a territorial row remains a thorn in their ties despite a landmark deal on the issue of Korean women coerced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops during World War II.

Under the agreement, Japan admitted its "responsibility," pledging to pay 1 billion yen in compensation to the 46 surviving victims.

In a separate policy speech in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called South Korea his country's "most important neighbor that shares strategic interests." (Yonhap)