South Korean officials accused Japan of trying to increase tensions between the countries Friday by raising its claim to a group of disputed islets.

The Japanese cabinet approved a white paper that repeats the country's claims to Dokdo, as the group is known in Korean, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The Dokdo, known as Takeshima in Japanese, are a group of two islets and 35 rocks in the Sea of Japan with a total area of 46 acres. South Korea has garrisoned the group since the end of the Korean War and a fisherman and his wife live there during the fishing season.

"We stress once again that we won't accept Japan's claim to Dokdo, which is clearly Korean territory in terms of history, geography and international laws," the defense ministry said in a statement. "We stress once again that we won't accept Japan's claim to Dokdo, which is clearly Korean territory in terms of history, geography and international laws."

South Korean officials said Japan's claims would impede efforts to build a closer relationship between the two countries.