The Emperor of Japan is to meet with China’s Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in a hastily arranged meeting that is going against imperial protocol.
REUTERS/Toru Hanai/FILE
Usually, requests to meet with Emperor Akihito take a month to process as they must be approved by the Imperial Household Agency. But this time, it has taken about two weeks for the request to go through – mainly because Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made a special request for the meeting to happen quickly.
“It would be important for the friendly relationship between Japan and China, so I asked the head of the Imperial Household Agency to do the favor if the emperor’s health condition permits,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano told reporters.
However, there are some in Japan who are concerned. They see this as using the Emperor for political purposes, something Akihito is supposed to stay out of.
Upon taking office in September, Hatoyama pledged stronger ties with the rest of Asia.
East Asia still has bitter memories over the treatment by Japanese imperialism before and during World War I.
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