Japan Crown Prince, Crown Princess Attend Anniv. Event in Turkey

Istanbul, Dec. 5 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko on Thursday attended a ceremony in Istanbul 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, now Turkey, and sank off Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan, as well as the two countries' mutual relief efforts following the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in 2011 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.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]