A city assembly in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has passed a resolution calling on South Korea to return a stolen ancient Buddhist statue that belongs to a temple in the city.

Members of the Tsushima City assembly on Thursday unanimously voted for the resolution addressed to the South Korean ambassador to Japan and the South Korean consulate general in Fukuoka.

The statue, designated as the prefecture's cultural asset, was stolen from Kannonji Temple in 2012, and was later found in South Korea.

South Korea's Busuksa Temple claimed ownership of the statue and filed a lawsuit. South Korea's Supreme Court ruled last October that the Japanese temple owns the statue.

Nearly a year has passed since the ruling, but the statue has not yet been returned.

Thursday's resolution notes that Tsushima citizens had expected the statue to be brought back, since Kannonji Temple's ownership was officially recognized.

Describing the statue as Tsushima's asset, the resolution demands that South Korean officials return it as soon as possible.

The Tsushima City assembly says it is the first time that the assembly has passed such a document to South Korea over the issue.