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Japan Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Japanese Emperor, Empress deepen ties with Mongolia
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako deepened their bonds with Mongolia during an eight-day state visit to the country. The Imperial couple are scheduled to return from the trip on Sunday. During the visit, the Emperor and the Empress met with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife, and attended the opening ceremony for Naadam, a traditional festival in Mongolia. With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako paid tribute to Japanese nationals who died in detention in Mongolia in the aftermath of the war. They also interacted with Mongolians from a wide range of generations, including young people who are expected to serve as a bridge between the two countries. Respect for Mongolian Culture At an airport in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, on July 6, the first day of the trip, the couple were welcomed by a Mongolian woman wearing a traditional costume, who offered them aaruul, a local dairy food. At a banquet hosted by the Mongolian first couple Tuesday, President Khurelsukh said in a welcome address that the Japanese Imperial couple's visit to his country will be remembered as a milestone in the history of the two countries' friendship. In response, Emperor Naruhito delivered an address, partially in Mongolian. He then played two songs on the viola in a joint performance with the Mongolian State Morin Khuur Ensemble, getting a big round of applause. Emperor Naruhito also visited the Chinggis Khaan National Museum and Gandantegchinlen Monastery, a Buddhist temple, to show his respect for Mongolia's history and culture. He also went to Mongol Kosen College of Technology — an educational institution modeled after Japanese technical colleges known as "kosen" — and a water-related facility built with assistance from Japan. It rained during the couple's tour of Mongolia, but this was welcomed as a good omen due to the country's dry climate. Spotlight on History of Internment On Tuesday, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited a cenotaph built in Ulaanbaatar for the Japanese who were detained by the former Soviet Union after World War II and died in Mongolia. As the rain fell, the Emperor and Empress laid wreaths at the monument and observed a minute of silence, followed by a deep bow. The Imperial couple then folded their umbrellas and bowed to the cenotaph again. It was the first time that a Japanese emperor has paid tribute at a site where Japanese were detained during or after the war. Fusae Suzuki, 88, whose father died during detention in Mongolia, accompanied the Imperial couple on their visit to the cenotaph. "The spotlight had not been on the detainees in Mongolia, but their souls can now rest in peace," she said, expressing her gratitude to Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako for their visit to the monument. Regarding the reason the Emperor and the Empress folded their umbrellas during their prayers, an official from the Imperial Household Agency said they may have thought that it was not appropriate to pay tribute to the deceased while using them. Ulziitogtokh, a Mongolian, who built a museum about the Japanese detainees, met with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the official residence of Japan's ambassador to Mongolia on Friday. The Imperial couple's latest visit made Mongolians from various generations know about Japanese detainees, said Ulziitogtokh.
NHK
12-07-2025
- NHK
Japanese Emperor, Empress end their 8-day visit to Mongolia
Japan's Imperial couple have completed the main events of their eight-day official visit to Mongolia. On Saturday, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived at a horse racing venue about 40 kilometers from the capital Ulaanbaatar. Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife were there to welcome them. Horse racing is one of the main events of the Naadam traditional sports festival. They attended the festival's opening ceremony in the capital the previous day. More than 100 horses ridden by children as jockeys race through a 22-kilometer grassland course. The event symbolizes the tradition of Mongolians as nomads on horseback. Later, the couple visited the Hustai National Park to see the oldest species of wild horse known as Takhi. The animal was once declared extinct in wild in the 1960s but is being reintroduced to its natural habitat. After the visit, the Emperor shared with reporters his thoughts on what he experienced in Mongolia. He said it was a week of pleasant exposure to Mongolia's rich history, culture and beautiful natural surroundings. He also said he met youth who are interested in Japan and eager to deepen their understanding of the country. He said some of them expressed a desire to visit or stay in Japan to study. He said he felt their passions for Japan. The Imperial couple are due to depart Mongolia on Sunday.
NHK
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NHK
Japan's Emperor, Empress attend traditional Mongolian sports festival ceremony
Japan's Emperor and Empress, now visiting Mongolia, have attended the opening ceremony of the Naadam traditional sports festival, which is listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Naadam, which means festival in Mongolian, is held every year from July 11, marking the revolution day, through 13. It focuses on the three traditional games of horse racing, wrestling and archery. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the ceremony at a stadium in the capital Ulaanbaatar on Friday, along with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife. Seated behind the Imperial couple was former sumo wrestler and Yokozuna Grand Champion Hakuho, who was born in Mongolia. The Emperor also attended the event's opening ceremony 18 years ago when he was Crown Prince. The couple watched a parade of a mounted troop carrying a flag of Genghis Khan, the founder of the ancient Mongol empire, and a dance performance honoring the state guests. They then moved to another venue for a demonstration of traditional archers shooting at targets placed about 100 meters away. The Emperor and Empress cheered and applauded when both a male and a female archer hit the targets perfectly. President Khurelsukh also picked up a bow himself and shot an arrow into the sky, which drew smiles and more applause from the Imperial couple. The Emperor and Empress are scheduled to watch horse racing on the vast grassland on Saturday, which is one of the most popular sporting events in Mongolia.
Japan Times
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Emperor visits Mongolian school offering Japanese-style education
Emperor Naruhito on Thursday visited Shine Mongol School, a private school in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, that incorporates Japanese-style education, with its school uniforms, school lunches and club activities. After being greeted by students, the emperor inspected a Japanese class for high school students. In response to students speaking in Japanese, including about their dreams of studying in Japan, the emperor said, "I'm very glad to see you studying with such high aspirations." The school's predecessor, Shine Mongol High School, was founded in 2000 by Janchiv Galbadrakh, 62, who studied at Yamagata University in northeastern Japan and whose eldest daughter attended a high school in Japan. Shine Mongol High School has evolved into a comprehensive educational institution offering elementary through high school education and also featuring a college of engineering and a Japanese-style technical college known as kōsen. Later on Wednesday, Emperor Naruhito visited Gandantegchinlen Monastery, a key temple in the country that has been influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. The emperor walked inside the temple while watching tsam, a traditional dance with masks, and viewed a 26-meter-tall deity statue. Before leaving the temple, the emperor received a bouquet from a 10-year-old monk named Gungaagarmaa and told him, "Please come to Japan when you grow up."
Japan Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Emperor Naruhito visits kōsen technical school in Mongolia
Emperor Naruhito on Wednesday visited the Mongol Kosen College of Technology, an educational institution modeled after Japanese technical colleges known as kōsen. The school is one of three Japanese-style kōsen colleges that were opened in Ulaanbaatar in 2014 by Mongolians who studied at kōsen schools in Japan, with Japanese support. It has five departments, including mechanical engineering, and offers five-year programs to train engineers. About 40% of its graduates are employed in Japan. At the school, Emperor Naruhito, who is on an official visit to Mongolia with Empress Masako, received an explanation from its principal. The emperor saw robots and other devices built by students and described them as "impressive." Also, he congratulated a 20-year-old former student who graduated from the school last month on getting a job in Tokyo starting in October. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako interact with students at a public school in Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday. | Jiji Later in the day, the emperor was joined by Empress Masako for visits to a public school and the Mongolia-Japan Hospital, which is affiliated with a Mongolian national university. Both facilities were established with grant aid from the Japanese government. At the school, the imperial couple applauded songs and dances by students and interacted with them. On Wednesday evening, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako met with eight Japanese expatriates at a hotel in Ulaanbaatar. Among the eight people were Aya Kon, 84, who publishes a Japanese-language journal on Mongolia, and Reiko Nakanishi, a teacher at a local school. The imperial couple asked questions, such as how they came to live in Mongolia. Asked what she would like to share with people in Japan, Kon replied, "I want to tell them about Mongolian nomads' simple and relaxed life." Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are on an eight-day state visit to Mongolia until Sunday.
