Japanese Emperor Naruhito's Visit to Mongolia Emphasizes ‘Special Strategic Partnership'

The Diplomat

3 days ago

The Japanese monarch's first state visit to Mongolia acknowledged the past while looking toward the future of the two democracies' ties.
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako just wrapped up an 8-day visit to Mongolia at the invitation of the Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa. Naruhito's historic state visit to Mongolia envisaged a special partnership between the two countries at the highest level of government. For Tokyo and Ulaanbaatar, the emperor's visit has robust historic, diplomatic, and symbolic implications for the two countries' relations moving forward.
Welcoming the visit, Mongolia's Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh told The Diplomat, 'This first state visit of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako has a historical significance that will deepen the friendly relations between Mongolia and Japan, strengthen the friendship and camaraderie between the peoples, which have become the 'cornerstone' of relations, and be engraved in golden letters in the history of relations.'
Khurelsukh and Naruhito previously met in 2019, when Khurelsukh attended the Japanese emperor's enthronement ceremony. Naruhito had previously visited Mongolia as a crown prince in 2007 during Enkhbayar Nambar's presidency. This state visit, however, was both more ceremonial and more symbolic.
Historical Reconciliation
Naruhito's visit – only his third trip overseas since assuming the throne – held profound symbolism this year, which commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. To Mongolia and Japan, which fought against each other in the war, historical remembrance and diplomacy go hand in hand.
On July 8, the emperor and empress visited the memorial for Japanese prisoners of war (POWs) in Mongolia. According to the National Archives of Mongolia, during World War II approximately 12,000 Japanese forced laborers were sent to the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR) from the Soviet Union, particularly Siberia.
According Mongolia's Institute of Strategic Studies, 'Mongolia's records indicated 12,318 POWs in total [sent to Mongolia] and 1,621 deaths whereas Japanese records stated 13,847 POWs and 1,684 deaths.'
Shuzo Yamada, an a 107-year-old former internee who helped build the foundations of the modern Sukhbaatar Square, commented on the visit. According to Japanese media, he said that 'he is glad that the Emperor and Empress will pay their respects and people will become aware of the internment in Mongolia.'
In 1966, before Japan and Mongolia had even formally established diplomatic ties, the first group of Japanese delegates paid their respects at a cemetery for the Japanese forced laborers. Sites commemorating the POWs have been visited by Japanese Prime Ministers Kaifu Toshiki, Koizumi Junichiro, and Abe Shinzo; the official memorial for the Japanese POWs was built in 2001 by the Mongolian and the Japanese governments.
On Japan's part, the consistent visit of Japanese delegations to historical sites acknowledges an era of warfare, as well as serving as a mechanism to move toward the future. Imperial Japan's historical atrocities often face controversy in East Asia, and reconciliation has been a way for Japan to navigate both regional and global affairs. Japan's moves to reconcile and recognize historical atrocities are thus geopolitically relevant.
Deepening of Bilateral Ties
Beyond history, Naruhito's state visit contributed to Japan-Mongolia diplomatic and cultural ties. The monarchs visited Ulaanbaatar's water supply and sewage facility, Shine Mongol High School, and attended the opening ceremony of Mongolia's Naadam festival. The emperor's visit thus shed a light on cooperative elements of the partnership between Mongolia and Japan.
In 2022, Mongolia and Japan commemorated their 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties by upgrading their relations to a Special Strategic Partnership. The Special Strategic Partnership serves as a robust bilateral foreign policy framework to foster people-centered cooperation in fields such as education, health, engineering, and environment. The partnership will be implemented within the 10-year Action Program of the 'Special Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity' between Ulaanbaatar and Tokyo.
At the same time, given the current escalation of regional security concerns, Mongolia and Japan's Special Strategic Partnership cannot afford to overlook defense and security cooperation. Hence, a strong Japan-Mongolia partnership is also strategically motivated. Ulaanbaatar's 'third neighbor' foreign policy supports its export access to Indo-Pacific.
In 2022, a Japan-Mongolia-U.S. trilateral meeting took place in Tokyo and all three parties reiterated the mutual commitment to democracy, peace, and security of the open Indo-Pacific region. As Japan's position becoming ever more relevant in East Asia and the Indo-Pacific, expanding that trilateral mechanism is crucial.
In East Asia, defense spending continues to rise and this trend includes Mongolia and Japan. The two countries' defense and security relations have augmented in recent years as well. Japan's Self-Defense Forces have been instrumental in international field rehearsals such as Capacity Building Program, King Search 2022, and Khaan Quest of Mongolia. Japanese forces help provide training in military medicine, engineering, and emergency evacuation exercises. Mongolia and Japan also cooperate in joint drills to provide medical assistance under Mongolia's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) disaster relief management.
Nicholas Millward, the director for the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies stated, 'In the East Asia context, the partnership with Japan, a major regional power, provides Mongolia with access to state-of-the-art defense technologies that will bolster its defense infrastructure without aligning itself with any military alliance. This ensures that Mongolia can maintain its independent foreign policy while benefiting from the security enhancements provided by the agreement.'
Future Outlook
Mongolia and Japan's special strategic bilateral relations carries global and regional implications. Enhancing trilateral mechanisms – not only between Japan, Mongolia, and the United States but Japan-Mongolia-South Korea – has benefits for both Ulaanbaatar and Tokyo. That said, under its multipillared foreign policy, Mongolia will continue to avoid joining any blocs but rather seek to establish robust bilateral and trilateral mechanisms.
Naruhito and Masako's state visit augmented Japan-Mongolia bilateral relations on the historical, diplomatic, and cultural levels. The historic visit to Mongolia promulgates these intangible but observable nuances at the highest level of government. Japan's ambassador to Mongolia, Igawahara Masaru, predicted that the visit of the emperor and empress 'will open a new chapter in the relationship between Japan and Mongolia.'
Cooperation with continue with Mongolia's hosting of COP17 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification next year. The upcoming event was a particular focus for Masako, who has a deep personal interest in environmental and climate change issues and often calls for regional cooperation in this area. Naruhito expressed that Japan would send a high-level representative to COP17.
In the face of rising regional instability, Ulaanbaatar and Tokyo will work to uphold democratic and peaceful foreign policies. The Japanese monarch's first state visit to Mongolia enabled the deepening of Mongolia and Japan's Special Strategic Partnership and emphasized a greater diplomatic symbolism that recognizes the past while establishing a sustainable path for future relations between the two government and two societies.