A pending military agreement with Japan hit another rock Tuesday as Tokyo's renewed claims over Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo raised questions whether Japan is a neighbor trustworthy enough to have such a sensitive accord with.

The military information-sharing pact was put on hold just before its planned signing earlier this month after the Lee Myung-bak administration faced a strong backlash following the Cabinet's secretive approval of the deal with the former colonial ruler.

Many Koreans still harbor deep resentment toward Japan because of its brutal colonial rule between 1910 and 1945, heightened by lingering territorial disputes and the unresolved issue of military sexual slavery.

The prospect of the unpopular pact further worsened Tuesday when Tokyo approved its 2012 defense white paper that reiterated claims Dokdo is Japanese territory historically and under international law, drawing strong protest from Seoul.

The defense ministry warned the Japanese government will not be able to have "future-oriented bilateral military relations" unless it abandons claims to Dokdo. The ministry remained vague as to the deal's likelihood, saying it will push for it when the conditions are right.

"We will push for the S. Korea-Japan military information-sharing agreement when we determine that the National Assembly and the people share a consensus and recognize the need for it," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said without elaborating further.

President Lee and other officials had previously indicated their intention to push ahead with the signing, stressing the agreement is necessary for national interest.

Enraged opposition politicians and critics called for rescinding the deal, saying Japan has shown no signs of sincerely working to resolve its wartime atrocities.

"Japan's claim on (Dokdo) is an apparent expression that shows its invasion ambition," Jung Sung-ho, spokesman of the main opposition Democratic United Party, said at a briefing. "The government's attempt to sign the military information-sharing agreement under this circumstance is no different than an act of selling the nation."

Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea in the body of water that divides the Korean Peninsula and Japan, has long been a thorn in relations between the two countries. South Korea keeps a small police detachment on the islets, effectively controlling them. (Yonhap)