Japanese imperial couple depart for historic visit to Mongolia
During their eight-day trip through July 13, the imperial couple are scheduled to lay flowers at a memorial to commemorate Japanese nationals who died while in internment camps there after the war.
A welcome ceremony and meeting with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife are to take place Tuesday in Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar. The imperial couple are expected to then participate in a banquet hosted by the Mongolian leader that night.
The itinerary also includes their attendance at the opening ceremony of Naadam, Mongolia's largest annual festival, on Friday.
"Through this visit, I hope to reflect on the long-standing history of exchanges between our two countries," the emperor said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"I hope this visit will also serve as an opportunity to invigorate exchanges further, particularly among the younger generation," he added.
Mongolia, sandwiched between China and Russia, established diplomatic relations with Japan in 1972. The two countries have enjoyed a close relationship since Mongolia embarked on democratization and economic liberalization in 1990.
With Japanese aid contributing significantly to Mongolia's development, the imperial couple are scheduled to visit the Mongol Kosen College of Technology, modeled after Japan's technical colleges, and the Mongolia-Japan Hospital, which helps train medical professionals.
The two countries' historical connection, however, is more checkered.
Following the war, the Soviet military transferred around 14,000 of some 575,000 Japanese prisoners of war from Siberia to Mongolia, putting them to work on infrastructure projects for around two years. More than 1,700 are believed to have died.
The Japanese government later established a memorial on a hill in Dambadarjaa, a former cemetery for the deceased POWs on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. The imperial couple will pay their respects at the site on Tuesday.
"I wish to mourn those who lost their lives far from their homeland against their will and reflect on their hardships," said the emperor, who also visited the monument during his previous trip to Mongolia as crown prince in 2007.
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