A senior government official Friday attended the annual ceremony commemorating the day Takeshima, now controlled by South Korea, was incorporated as Japanese territory, sparking a protest from Seoul.
The presence of Aiko Shimajiri, a parliamentary secretary with the Cabinet Office, at the Takeshima Day ceremony in Matsue marked the first time that anyone holding one of the top three posts in a government ministry has attended the event.
"It goes without saying that Takeshima is Japanese territory," and the territorial dispute is a "very important issue involving sovereignty," Shimajiri said during the ceremony.