bilateral 復習
日本人留学生と中国人大学生が交流を友好を深めようと企画した「日中合同成人式」が、中国の上海で行われました。
Japanese, Chinese students celebrate coming of age
Japanese and Chinese university students have jointly celebrated their coming of age and pledged to further deepen bilateral youth exchanges.
The celebration was held at a hotel in Shanghai on Sunday. A group of Japanese students studying in China organized the event to provide an opportunity for young Chinese to experience a Japanese-style ceremony for new adults.
About 200 students took part. Some wore long-sleeved kimonos.
A student made a pledge on behalf of the Japanese participants, saying they want to learn good things from each other so they will have better bilateral ties and a good future.
The Chinese representative said young people in the 2 countries will be responsible for the future several decades from now. She said their exchanges will lead to a deeper friendship.
The organizers say the annual event has gradually become more popular since the first one was held in 2012 and they had the largest number of participants this year.
A Chinese student said she is pleased she was able to take part in a Japanese-style coming-of-age ceremony.
The head of the organizing committee says she hopes the event will continue to expand.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160410_26/
今回取り上げる表現は、”bilateral”です。『ウィズダム英和辞典』（第３版、三省堂）を引いたところ、「相互[双方]の〈合意・協定・条約など〉」と載っていました。
Dictionary.comには、”pertaining to, involving, or affecting two or both sides, factions, parties, or the like”と定義されていました。
記事に戻りますと、ここのbilateralは「2国間の、両国間の」という意味になると思いました。
また、インターネットでこの単語を調べていたところ、医療や科学分野で用いられることがよくあるようで、意味は「左右相称の、両側性の」（『ウィズダム英和辞典』第３版、三省堂）と辞書にありました。例を挙げると、”bilateral symmetry”「（身体の）左右対称」などと使うようです。（Blue Sky）
過去にも、”bilateral”を含む表現を取り上げている記事があるので、ご覧ください。
