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Japan pushed ahead with a maritime survey near disputed islands over Republic of Korea's (ROK) strenuous objections Wednesday, risking a showdown with Seoul and further damaging relations between the frosty neighbors.

Tokyo dispatched two coast guard ships on what it said was a routine mission to map a wide swath of maritime territory that skirts just north of a cluster of rocky islets controlled by ROK but claimed by Japan.

"Many countries carry out such scientific surveys," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, an outspoken proponent of Japan's claims on the islets. "Japan will deal with the issue in a calm manner and in line with international law."

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi echoed his top lieutenant, telling reporters Japan had no intention of fanning a dispute with its neighbor.

The plan, however, drew angry protests from ROK, which deeply resents the Japanese claim to the islands as an unseemly remnant of Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.

Seoul announced Wednesday it had dispatched some 20 patrol boats to protect the outcroppings from Japanese incursions and local media reports said the locals might try to intercept the Japanese vessels.

ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon demanded an immediate halt to the project a suggestion that was quickly rejected by Tokyo.

"We expect Japan to abandon its plan to conduct a maritime survey in our exclusive economic zone, voluntarily and instantly," said Ban. "Then the dispute can be solved diplomatically."

Ban added that Seoul was prepared for "all scenarios," without elaborating. He spoke after ROK President Roh Moo-hyun met with security ministers to discuss the dispute. Later in the day, the ROK Parliament passed a resolution calling for a halt to the survey.

The episode marked a further deterioration in ties between the two countries, which have struggled for years to overcome their centuries-long history of animosity. In addition to the islet feud, the two sides are at odds over Koizumi's repeated visits to a Tokyo war shrine.

Reflecting the sensitivity surrounding the islets, known in Japanese as Takeshima and in Korean as Dokdo, Japan has been reticent about its plans, and media reported conflicting details about them throughout the day.

News reports said the survey could begin as soon as today, but Kubota and other officials refused to give a schedule or say how close the ships would come to the contested outcroppings.

(China Daily April 20, 2006)