Former residents of Russian-held islands claimed by Japan will hold memorial services for their ancestors at sea and in the air from July 25 to November 7.
The Hokkaido prefectural government announced the plans on Friday. The services are scheduled to occur between July 25 and November 7 this year. They will be conducted at sea and in the air near the northwestern Pacific islands.
An Ainu indigenous group in Hokkaido has filed a lawsuit demanding the return of remains from 279 ancestors held at a state facility.
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South Korea and Japan will resume joint maritime search and rescue exercises after a nine-year pause. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back announced on May 30 that the drills will take place on June 7 following talks with his Japanese counterpart in Singapore.
South Korea's foreign ministry summoned Hirotaka Matsuo, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, on Friday to protest Tokyo's renewed territorial claim to the Dokdo islets in its annual Diplomatic Bluebook. Kim Sang-hoon, director general for Asia-Pacific affairs, lodged the complaint. Japan claimed Dokdo as its territory and accused South Korea of 'illegal occupation' by stationing security forces.
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Kumamoto Prefecture marked the 10th anniversary of the deadly 2016 earthquakes on Thursday with a commemoration ceremony. Families and officials observed a moment of silence for the 278 victims, as the governor and Chief Cabinet Secretary pledged to pass on lessons learned. The back-to-back quakes caused extensive damage.