At the state banquet in honor of Emperor Naruhito at London’s Buckingham Palace last month, King Charles said that “at the core of our partnership is a close friendship; one based on a mutual understanding of the importance of international rules and global institutions forged from the lessons of history, including its darkest years.”
Naruhito recalled visits to the United Kingdom by his grandfather, Emperor Showa, and his father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, after times of great difficulty. “The empress and I would like to express our deep respect and gratitude to those people who have dedicated immeasurable efforts to the friendship between our two countries extending firmly into the future.”
Thirty years ago, as deputy head of mission at the Japanese Embassy in London, I took pains to coordinate the embassy’s efforts to tackle the eruption of pent-up grievances of former British prisoners of war around the time of the 50th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day on Aug. 15, 1995.