Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have attended a welcome banquet as state guests at a palace in Brussels. They are currently on an official visit to Belgium.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde hosted the banquet at their residence, the Castle of Laeken, on Tuesday evening, local time. The Japanese Imperial couple is staying at the residence.
Emperor Naruhito was dressed in a tailcoat, and Empress Masako wore a pale pink dress. The four children of the King and Queen were present at the banquet table, including Princess Elisabeth, who is first in line to the throne. Nearly 200 people, including those who have contributed to exchanges between the two countries, were in attendance.
A choral group sang the national anthems of both countries at the beginning of the event.
King Philippe delivered a speech. He stressed that the depth of the two countries’ bilateral relations cannot be underestimated. He stated that such relations take on an even stronger value in today’s polarized world, which often seeks to divide rather than to unite and cooperate. He added that the ties the two nations have built are offering a splendid example of the latter.
Emperor Naruhito then delivered a speech. He mentioned the long history of exchanges between the Japanese Imperial family and the Belgian royal family. He said he is glad that he and his wife are adding a new page to that history through their visit.
The Emperor also noted that Belgium has become an important political and economic hub in the process of European integration, and that ties between Japan and Belgium are growing closer.
He added that he is also encouraged by the recent deepening of bilateral relations in far-sighted new fields, such as hydrogen, offshore wind power generation, semiconductors and life sciences.
The Emperor expressed his heartfelt hope that the two countries, as irreplaceable long-term friends, will continue to foster perpetual friendship and cooperation. He then made a toast in Dutch and French, which are two of the official languages of Belgium.
The Emperor and Empress are scheduled to stay in Belgium until Thursday and return to Japan on Friday.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www3.nhk.or.jp ’
