Japanese Emperor’s coronation celebrated

Envoy states emperor emeritus still fondly recalls trip to Pakistan 57 years on

ISLAMABAD: Japan’s Ambassador Kuninori Matsuda and his wife hosted a reception at their official residence on Thursday to celebrate the enthronement of Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito.

On April 30, Japan’s Emperor Akihito abdicated in an unprecedented move, allowing Crown Prince Naruhito to be enthroned on May 1.

The reception was attended by ministers, parliamentarians, senior government officials, and other dignitaries from the public and private sector.

Matsuda, along with other distinguished guests cut a ceremonial cake to celebrate enthronement.

The Japanese envoy pointed out Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko were the first Japanese royals to visit Pakistan all the way back in 1962.

“They still talk about their visit very fondly,” Matsuda said, adding that the royal couple “toured around Pakistan including Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore at that time.”

When the then-Pakistani Ambassador Farukh Amil met with then-Crown Prince Naruhito in 2013, he had expressed his desire to visit Pakistan, like his parents did to see the beautiful Pakistani scenery and enjoy its rich heritage.

Ambassador Matsuda noted that during Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's recent visit to Japan, notes for two Japanese grant assistance were exchanged, including funds for an expansion of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and the provision of X-ray cargo scanners.

The envoy went on to explain that Emperor Akihito’s reign was called ‘Heisei’ or achieving peace. However, Emperor Naruhito’s reign had been officially dubbed as “Reiwa”, and signifies order and harmony.  

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2019.