At the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo, the emperor and Empress Masako received the U.S. president and first lady Melania Trump amid the festive mood following the recent start of the Reiwa Era.

The Japanese government chose Trump to be the first state guest of the new era in hopes of showcasing the depth of the bilateral alliance. When Trump visited Japan in 2017 as an official guest he met then-Emperor Akihito, who on April 30 became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in about two centuries.

On Monday morning the imperial couple and the Trumps shook hands and exchanged greetings without using interpreters, before walking together along a red carpet in the courtyard of the palace to attend a welcome ceremony.

“Nice to meet you,” the emperor and empress said to the Trumps in English, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

In the outdoor ceremony, which was held in summer-like heat, Trump, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, and the first lady, wearing a white dress, stood on a platform as the national anthems of the two countries were performed. Trump was then received with an honor guard.

The emperor wore a dark suit and a blue tie, and the empress was in a cream-colored dress and a matching hat. The event was also attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie, as well as other members of the imperial family.

Following the ceremony, the imperial couple held a meeting with the Trumps inside the palace, with the emperor expressing his joy at receiving the president. Trump hailed the two countries’ ties, saying their relationship had overcome various challenges in history, including World War II, according to the agency.

Asked by Trump how Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emeritus Michiko are doing, the emperor responded they are doing well. Empress Masako and the first lady talked about their children’s education, the agency said.

The Trumps presented a vintage 1938 viola made in the United States to the emperor, who is known to play the instrument. They gave the Harvard-educated empress a White House desk set that included a fountain pen handcrafted from a red oak tree from the university’s grounds.

Trump received a dark blue porcelain bowl for display, and his wife a lacquer box decorated with gold, from the imperial couple.

After the talks, Trump said it was “a great honor and a great thing” to meet the new emperor, following the first abdication of a Japanese monarch in 202 years.

“It’s a very important thing — not only in Japan, but all over the world they are talking about it — and it’s very exciting to be a part of it,” Trump said.

The Trumps, who arrived Saturday, are staying three nights in Japan as state guests, one night more than his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, did in 2014.

The Trumps will participate in a banquet hosted by the imperial couple at Homeiden, the largest room at the palace, later Monday, at which professional golfer Isao Aoki and Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher Shinya Yamanaka are among invited guests.

A foreign leader’s state visit normally involves a meeting with the emperor and a French dinner.

Monday’s meeting with the Trumps kicks off a new period of imperial diplomacy overseen by an emperor and empress who have a wide range of international experience, more so than any of their predecessors, as both have spent a number of years living overseas.

Emperor Naruhito, 59, is the first Japanese emperor to have studied abroad — at the University of Oxford — and Empress Masako, 55, is a former diplomat educated at Oxford and Harvard.

During a summit with Abe in Washington ahead of Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement, Trump had said he initially hesitated to accept the invitation to meet the emperor, unsure if he could make the trip.

Trump said he had asked Abe how big the imperial succession would be for the Japanese people compared with the Super Bowl and Abe replied, “It’s about 100 times bigger,” leading him to immediately agree to the visit.

Source:japantimes.co.jp/news