South Korean military jets made a sortie to the skies over the country's Dokdo islets to send away a Japanese civilian light airplane on Tuesday after the latter tried to fly over the area without permission, South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported.

The Japanese plane, owed by the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun, tried to enter the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) of South Korea over the Dokdo islets in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) Tuesday morning.

Then the Japanese flight gave up the attempt after South Korea refused to grant permission, report Yonhap.

Foreign airplanes are required to get approval from the Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters to enter the ADIZ of South Korea.

It was not immediately known why the airplane tried to fly overthe South Korean islets. Officials believe the flight was made to take photographs of the territory.

South Korea and Japan recently had quarrels over the sovereignty over the islets after Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Toshiyuki Takano claimed his country's sovereignty over the islets, called Taekshima in Japanese.

His remarks sparked a new wave of anti-Japanese sentiment among South Korean people.

South Korea insists the Dokdo islets has been listed as its territory in history literature since 5th century. And South Korea has deployed a group of coast police on the islets since 1956.

While Japan also claims the Taekshima has been its territory since 17th century as literature say.

Xinhua