Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Masatoshi Muto will leave his office later this week, amid strained bilateral relations over Tokyo's claim to the easternmost South Korean islets of Dokdo, a government source said Wednesday.
"In accordance with a personnel movement order by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Muto will return to Japan on Sept, 20," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Since taking office in August, 2010, Muto spent more than two years as the top Japanese diplomat to Seoul mostly addressing thorny issues, including Dokdo and the distortion of modern Asian history in Japanese textbooks.
Korea-Japan relations worsened in August when President Lee Myung-bak paid a rare visit to the islets now controlled by Korea as part of his gestures to reaffirm Seoul's ownership of them.
Japan has since then prepared to bring the Dokdo issue to the International Court of Justice.
The ambassador was called back to Japan leaving the ambassador's position vacant for more than 10 days.
The outgoing ambassador may be replaced by Koro Bessho, deputy minister for Foreign Affairs, who could take office later this month or early next month, the official said. (Yonhap)