South Korea-Japan ties sour amid fresh military drills near disputed islands

Meeting of leaders at G7 reportedly cancelled over Seoul's decision to stage exercises around Dokdo islands, which are also claimed by Tokyo

South Korea has begun annual military drills near a pair of remote islands that are also claimed by Japan, as the long-running territorial dispute threatened to sour preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.

The exercises near the Dokdo islands - referred to as Takeshima in Japan - began days after a meeting between the countries' leaders on the sidelines of the Cornwall G7 summit was reportedly cancelled due to Japanese objections to the exercises.