Emperor and Empress of Japan On Visit To Vietnam

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan began their official visit to Vietnam – the first of a Japanese monarch – this week, with a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi attended by President Trần Đại Quang on Wednesday. The purpose of the visit is to promote goodwill between Japan and Vietnam.

The Imperial Couple also laid a wreath at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the memorial monument to the first President of North Vietnam.

Today, Akihito and Michiko met with the Vietnamese wives and children of Japanese soldiers that remained in the country after World War II. Years later, the soldiers were forced to leave their wives and children behind when they returned to Japan, separating families for decades. Emperor Akihito said that the families of the soldiers left behind “encountered many difficulties”.

The Emperor and Empress will remain in Vietnam until Sunday, before travelling to Thailand to pay their respects to the late King Bhumibol.

Filed under Japan
Tagged Bilateral Relations, Emperor Akihito of Japan, Empress Michiko of Japan, President Quang of Vietnam, Vietnam.

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