The ambassador of Japan to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kinefuchi, hosted a reception in Sarajevo on the occasion of the National Day of this country.
In the presence of a large number of guests from political, diplomatic, cultural and public life in BiH, the ambassador presented numerous examples of good cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Japan, on the economic, cultural level and sports level.
After expressing his condolences to victims and survivors of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, followed by the minute of silence, Ambassador said he was “especially honored that so many ministerial level, dignitaries from the state, entities, mark their presence.
“I am pleased to welcome ambassadors, heads of international organizations, Bosnian friends, not only in Sarajevo, but across the country,” the Ambassador started his speech.
”We are glad that we can finally welcome you to celebrate the friendly relations between the Japan and Bosnia and Herzegovina and their peoples,” Ambassador added.
“Japanese celebrate the Emperor’s birthday as their national day. Japanese monarchy has been recognised as the oldest monarchy in the world, and the reign can be traced back to 660 BC, nearly 2700 years before. For Japanese people, the Emperor is a symbol of unity, he has no political power, but is the best of Japanese aspirations, and he reminds them on their responsibility to work for the good of all people.”
In Japan, February 23 is a national holiday, the Emperor’s birthday. Emperor Naruhito was born on February 23, 1960, and since he ascended the throne, his birthday has been celebrated as a national holiday. The Reiva Era is now underway in Japan, which started on May 1st, 2019, so this is the third year of the Reiva Era.
It is customary for the Emperor to appear on the terrace of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on his birthday.
Naruhito became emperor after his father Akihito abdicated on April 30, 2019, and a ceremony similar to a European coronation was held in October of that year, when he officially ascended the throne.
The previous emperor Akihito decided to abdicate in favor of his son, according to his will, and thus became the first Japanese ruler in history to voluntarily step down from the throne.
