Japanese Emperor, Empress deepen ties with Mongolia
The Imperial couple are scheduled to return from the trip on Sunday.
During the visit, the Emperor and the Empress met with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife, and attended the opening ceremony for Naadam, a traditional festival in Mongolia.
With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako paid tribute to Japanese nationals who died in detention in Mongolia in the aftermath of the war.
They also interacted with Mongolians from a wide range of generations, including young people who are expected to serve as a bridge between the two countries.
Respect for Mongolian Culture
At an airport in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, on July 6, the first day of the trip, the couple were welcomed by a Mongolian woman wearing a traditional costume, who offered them aaruul, a local dairy food.
At a banquet hosted by the Mongolian first couple Tuesday, President Khurelsukh said in a welcome address that the Japanese Imperial couple's visit to his country will be remembered as a milestone in the history of the two countries' friendship.
In response, Emperor Naruhito delivered an address, partially in Mongolian.
He then played two songs on the viola in a joint performance with the Mongolian State Morin Khuur Ensemble, getting a big round of applause.
Emperor Naruhito also visited the Chinggis Khaan National Museum and Gandantegchinlen Monastery, a Buddhist temple, to show his respect for Mongolia's history and culture.
He also went to Mongol Kosen College of Technology — an educational institution modeled after Japanese technical colleges known as "kosen" — and a water-related facility built with assistance from Japan.
It rained during the couple's tour of Mongolia, but this was welcomed as a good omen due to the country's dry climate.
Spotlight on History of Internment
On Tuesday, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited a cenotaph built in Ulaanbaatar for the Japanese who were detained by the former Soviet Union after World War II and died in Mongolia.
As the rain fell, the Emperor and Empress laid wreaths at the monument and observed a minute of silence, followed by a deep bow. The Imperial couple then folded their umbrellas and bowed to the cenotaph again.
It was the first time that a Japanese emperor has paid tribute at a site where Japanese were detained during or after the war.
Fusae Suzuki, 88, whose father died during detention in Mongolia, accompanied the Imperial couple on their visit to the cenotaph.
"The spotlight had not been on the detainees in Mongolia, but their souls can now rest in peace," she said, expressing her gratitude to Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako for their visit to the monument.
Regarding the reason the Emperor and the Empress folded their umbrellas during their prayers, an official from the Imperial Household Agency said they may have thought that it was not appropriate to pay tribute to the deceased while using them.
Ulziitogtokh, a Mongolian, who built a museum about the Japanese detainees, met with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the official residence of Japan's ambassador to Mongolia on Friday.
The Imperial couple's latest visit made Mongolians from various generations know about Japanese detainees, said Ulziitogtokh.
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