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South Korea Begins Drills Near Disputed Islands

   South Korea has begun two days of war games near a set of disputed
   islands that are also claimed by Japan.

   The two countries have long disagreed on who has rightful claim to the
   islands known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.

   The islands are "obviously an inherent part of the territory of Japan,"
   Kenji Kanasugi, the director general of Japan's foreign ministry's
   Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, told the South Korean Embassy in
   Tokyo in a statement.

   The drills began Sunday, just days after Seoul decided to scrap a
   military intelligence sharing agreement with Tokyo.

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