Kyodo News: An annual ceremony was held in western Japan on Monday to push the country’s claim to Takeshima, a group of islets controlled by South Korea, but on a smaller scale due to the coronavirus pandemic.

AP: Japan renewed its claim on a contested island in the Sea of Japan held by South Korea at an annual event Monday, escalating tensions between the neighbors whose relations were already strained over Seoul’s demands for compensation for Japanese actions in World War II.