TOKYO - Japan on Tuesday protested against South Korea's plan to build facilities on a pair of disputed islets, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.  

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Seoul's plan is to build a maritime science facility and a breakwater off the isles in the Sea of Japan, according to Kyodo News Agency.

Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae summoned South Korean Ambassador to Japan Kwon Chul Hyun and lodged a strong protest over the plan, saying it is "totally unacceptable" and urging Seoul to cancel it.

Kwon explained Seoul's position on the territorial issue, saying he will convey Japan's protest to the South Korean government.

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak vowed last week to strengthen Seoul's effective control over the uninhabited islets, following Tokyo's renewed claim to the territory in junior high school textbooks recently approved for use from April 2012.

According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, construction work of the 2,700-square-meter science facility is expected to start later this month and is set to be completed by December next year. The base is designed to monitor and analyze the climate and other natural phenomena in the area.