The Shimane Prefectural Government on Tuesday held the 17th annual ceremony to mark Takeshima Day, designated by a prefectural ordinance, with a parliamentary vice minister attending the event for the 10th consecutive year as a central government representative.
The yearly ceremony for the islands of Takeshima in Shimane is designed to assert Japan's sovereignty over the Sea of Japan islands, which are effectively controlled by South Korea, where the islands are called Dokdo.
This year, Hiroo Kotera, parliamentary vice minister within the Cabinet Office, joined the event held in the Shimane capital of Matsue, along with some 80 other people. Among the participants were Shimane Governor Tatsuya Maruyama, former internal affairs minister Yoshitaka Shindo, lawmakers elected from Shimane and members of the Shimane prefectural assembly.