LONDON, England: King Charles III welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan at a grand state banquet at Buckingham Palace, marking the beginning of their three-day state visit to the UK. This visit, the first by a Japanese head of state since 1998, highlights the deep friendship between the two nations.
The emperor and empress arrived on Saturday and engaged in informal activities before their official reception by King Charles and Queen Camilla in central London. The ceremony included gun salutes and national anthems, followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Charles and Naruhito inspected the guard of honor and traveled to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession for lunch.
During their tour, King Charles showed the emperor a special exhibition of Japanese items from the Royal Collection, including an 1855 scroll from Queen Victoria’s library depicting the 17th-century coronation of Emperor Go-Mizunoo. The emperor admired the artifacts, exclaiming “wonderful, wonderful.”
In the afternoon, the Japanese royals visited Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. Their day concluded with a lavish state banquet where King Charles emphasized the strong bond between the UK and Japan, rooted in shared values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.
“Today, as we face a world in which these principles are ever more challenged, our shared values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law are more important than ever,” said Charles. He also wished a happy birthday to Hello Kitty, the iconic Japanese animated character that recently turned 50.
This visit is Emperor Naruhito’s second official state visit since ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, following a trip to Indonesia last year. Originally scheduled for 2020, the visit was delayed due to the pandemic. King Charles, hosting his third state visit as monarch, recently honored Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida with a CBE for his contributions to UK-Japan business relations.
The emperor’s schedule includes a visit to The Francis Crick Institute, the UK’s premier biomedical research center, followed by a banquet hosted by the Lord Mayor and City of London Corporation. The royal couple will bid farewell to the British monarchs at Buckingham Palace on Thursday morning before attending the “Japan: Myths to Manga” exhibition at the V&A museum. Emperor Naruhito will also privately visit Windsor Castle to lay a wreath on Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb.
Their visit underscores the enduring relationship between the UK and Japan, celebrating shared history and future collaboration.
