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The Prime Minister in Action
Meeting with the King and Queen of Sweden and Other Events
April 25, 2018
Photograph of the commemorative photograph session
Photograph of the salute and the guard of honor ceremony
Photograph of the salute and the guard of honor ceremony
Photograph of the commemorative photograph session
Photograph of the Prime Minister and Mrs. Abe meeting with the King and Queen of Sweden
Photograph of the Prime Minister and Mrs. Abe meeting with the King and Queen of Sweden
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address at the banquet hosted by Prime Minister Abe and Mrs. Abe
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address at the banquet hosted by Prime Minister Abe and Mrs. Abe
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address at the banquet hosted by Prime Minister Abe and Mrs. Abe
On April 25, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia of the Kingdom of Sweden at Akasaka Palace State Guest House. After that, the Prime Minister hosted a banquet.
In his address at the banquet, the Prime Minister said,
“It is my great pleasure to welcome His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia of the Kingdom of Sweden to Japan upon this important milestone of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Sweden.
Their Majesties have made several personal and official visits to Japan. I am very pleased to see that the close relationship between the Imperial Family of Japan and the Royal Family of Sweden has served as the foundation for the longstanding friendly relations between our two countries.
The relationship between Japan and Sweden covers a wide variety of fields. We are even connected to each other via the Olympics. Yesterday, Their Majesties paid a visit to the New National Stadium, which will serve as one of the venues for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Japan first participated in the Olympics in 1912, which was held in Stockholm. Japan’s first Olympian was actually the marathon runner Shiso Kanakuri, who unfortunately retired from his race after collapsing from sunstroke. I have heard he is famous in Sweden as the ‘the missing marathoner.’ Fifty years later, Mr. Kanakuri finally reached the finish line after being invited back by Sweden. His time for the marathon was apparently 54 years, eight months, six days, five hours, 32 minutes and 20 seconds. Next year, NHK will start a new season of its Taiga Drama historical TV drama series featuring Mr. Kanakuri. I hope this program will serve as an opportunity to further improve the friendly relations between Japan and Sweden.
The economies of our two countries are closely intertwined. On his visit to Japan this time, His Majesty is accompanied by over 100 businesspeople from Sweden. I would like to express my respect for His Majesty’s leadership.
When one thinks of Sweden, one thinks of the Nobel Prize. Mr. Koichi Tanaka, one of the Japanese winners of the Prize, is in attendance tonight. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. Also in attendance is Dr. Takaaki Kajita, who also won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2015.
Today’s banquet is graced by the presence of many leaders who support the wonderful and friendly relations between our two countries in a wide range of fields, including politics, the economy, academia, and culture.
It is thanks to all of your efforts that the extremely cordial relationship between Japan and Sweden exists. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you all and also to request your continued efforts to ensure that our relations develop further.
I hope that this visit by Their Majesties will add a new chapter to the 150-year history of our bilateral exchange. I would like to propose a toast to the further development of Japan-Sweden relations. Cheers!”
