Matsue: The Japanese government will strengthen its publicity efforts over the Sea of Japan islands of Takeshima in Shimane Prefecture, which are effectively controlled by South Korea, a senior government official said at the annual Takeshima Day ceremony on Wednesday.

“We will further strengthen publicity efforts to promote the accurate understanding (of the Takeshima issue) at home and abroad and to allow people to feel a solid step toward resolving the issue,” Shojiro Hiranuma, parliamentary vice minister of the Cabinet Office said in a speech at the ceremony.

The ceremony was held in the Shimane capital of Matsue to mark Takeshima Day, which is designated under the prefecture’s ordinance to assert the country’s sovereignty over the islands, called Dokdo in South Korea.

The ceremony marked the 19th anniversary this year and saw the attendance of a parliamentary vice minister for the 12th consecutive year. It was attended by 328 people including Shimane Governor Tatsuya Maruyama, lawmakers and prefectural assembly members.

“We need understanding and support from the international community to promote discussions with South Korea,” Maruyama told the ceremony. The governor asked the Japanese government to “provide more careful explanations and information to the international community.”

At a news conference in Tokyo the same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said, “In light of historical facts and international laws, Takeshima is clearly an inherent part of Japan.”

Meanwhile, South Korea’s foreign ministry issued a spokesperson’s statement saying that Seoul strongly protests Japan’s territorial claims over Dokdo, and calling for the immediate abolition of the Takeshima Day ceremony.

This year’s ceremony had no limit on the number of participants for the first time in four years, after Japan downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk category of infectious disease in May 2023.

JIJI Press