(LEAD) Seoul regrets Japan's protest over ship's name.

SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean government on Wednesday expressed deep regret over Japanese government protests against Seoul's naming of a new naval vessel after 'Dokdo,' a group of South Korean islets in the East Sea claimed by Japan. "Protests from the Japanese government are tantamount to a serious act of aggression on South Korean sovereignty," said a press release in the name of Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lee Kyu-hyung. "The South Korean government will consider any claim to the Dokdo islets by Japan as a provocation to Korean sovereignty," said the press release. "We will counter those provocations with firm resolution." The ship, approximately the same size and capability as the U.S. Navy's Iwo Jima class vessels, can transport over 700 troops, 7-10 UH-60 type helicopters, six tanks, various other amphibious vehicles and artillery as well as two air-cushioned landing craft. Earlier in the day, Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima said that naming the ship after Dokdo is a kind of provocation that should be refrained from by either side, adding that the naming of the ship is very regrettable. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda was reported to have said Tuesday that it needs to be determined why Seoul named the ship Dokdo, indicating that Tokyo may take some action in regards to the matter. He also told reporters that he could not understand the reason for (the ship's) name, adding that more time was needed to digest its implications. The South Korean Foreign Ministry stressed that any Japanese argument of the matter will be considered as an act on their part of trying to whitewash their wartime aggression and ...