Presentation Ceremony of Cherry Tree Saplings (Summary)

On April 10th, commencing at 3:00 p.m. (local time, 4:00 a.m. on April 11th, Japan time) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, during his official visit to Washington D.C., attended a cherry tree sapling presentation ceremony. The overview of the ceremony is as follows.

1. At the outset, Mr. Charles Sams, Director of the National Park Service, explained about the memorial regarding the gift of cherry trees from Japan to the United States 112 years ago as a testament of friendship between the two countries.

2. In response, Prime Minister explained that he had decided to donate 250 cherry trees to further strengthen the ties between Japan and the U.S. and to pray for the further development of the U.S., which will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, and that, as a first step, he would donate cherry tree saplings brought from Japan. He also stated that the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin would be a symbol of the strong ties between Japan and the U.S. He expressed his hope that the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin will bloom forever as a symbol of the strong ties between Japan and the United States.

3. Mayor Bowser of the District of Columbia and Deputy Secretary of State Campbell expressed their heartfelt appreciation for the cherry blossoms from Japan and also stated that the cherry blossoms of Washington D.C. are the most important gift the U.S. has ever received from a foreign country, along with the Statue of Liberty at New York.