政務官「発信強化に努める」　「竹島の日」で記念式典―島根県

　島根県が竹島（隠岐の島町）の領有権確立を目指して条例で定めた「竹島の日」の記念式典が２２日、県などの主催により松江市内で開かれた。政府代表として出席した内閣府の和田義明政務官は式典で「竹島は歴史的事実に照らしても、国際法上も明らかにわが国固有の領土」と強調。その上で「わが国の立場について正確な理解が浸透し、解決に向けて前進するよう、発信の一層の強化に努めていく」と述べた。
　政府は、竹島の領有権を解説するサイトの刷新、地方巡回展の開催などに取り組んでいる。丸山達也知事も「県として、今後も啓発に努め、調査研究をさらに進める」とあいさつした。（2021/02/22-17:49）

The Shimane prefectural government on Monday held an annual ceremony for Takeshima Day, designed to assert Japan's sovereignty over Sea of Japan islands controlled by South Korea, with a central government official attending the event for nine years in a row.
   Yoshiaki Wada, parliamentary vice minister at the Cabinet Office, joined the ceremony, held in Matsue, the capital of the western Japan prefecture of Shimane, which faces the Sea of Japan.
   Feb. 22 is designated as Takeshima Day under a Shimane prefectural government ordinance that was adopted in 2005. The islands of Takeshima, called Dokdo in South Korea, are under Seoul's effective control and have been claimed by Japan.
   Monday's ceremony, the 16th of its kind, was joined by some 220 people, including Japanese lawmakers, Shimane assembly members and residents of the prefecture. The number of participants was almost halved from the levels in usual years to reduce the risk of novel coronavirus infection.
   The central government is promoting its position on Takeshima by revamping its website on the country's territorial claims and holding a related exhibition around Japan.