Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko attended a ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and Turkey.
In his speech in the ceremony held at the Ataturk Cultural Center, the crown prince, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, touched on the rescue in 1890 of the crew of the warship Ertugrul — which was carrying a delegation from the Ottoman Empire, the forerunner to Turkey, and sank off Wakayama Prefecture — as well as the two countries' mutual relief efforts following the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and a major earthquake in Turkey in 2023.
"I hope that these events, which symbolize the bond between our two countries, will continue to be passed on for the next 100 years," he said.
Later, together with Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Askin Bak and others, the imperial couple watched performances of folk dances from various parts of Turkey and wadaiko traditional Japanese drumming.
After the performances, the couple thanked the performers from Turkey and Japan and smiled as they posed for commemorative photos.
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