ISLAMABAD, MAY 03 (DNA) – Kuninori Matsuda, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan and his wife on Thursday hosted a reception at his residence to celebrate the Enthronement of Emperor Naruhito.

On April 30, 2019 Emperor Akihito abdicated and Crown Prince was enthroned on 1st May 2019.

The reception was attended by the Ministers, Parliamentarians, senior government officials, and other dignitaries from the public and private sector.

Kuninori Matsuda, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, along with the distinguished guests cut a cake to celebrate the Enthronement of His Majesty Naruhito.

Kuninori Matsuda, while speaking on the occasion thanked to the attendees for congratulating the Enthronement of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito.

He mentioned about relation between Japanese royal family and Pakistan that His majesty the Emperor Emeritus Akihito and her Majesty the Empress Emerita Michiko were the first Japanese emperor and empress who visited Pakistan in 1962.

They still talk about their visit very fondly. They toured around Pakistan including Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore at that time.

June, 20, 2013, the then Pakistani Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Farukh Amil had met the then Crown Prince Naruhito.

The then Crown Prince Naruhito told the then ambassador Amil that he wished he would visit Pakistan, like his parents did as the then Crown Prince and Princess in 1962, to see the beautiful Pakistani scenery and enjoy the rich heritage.

Ambassador Matsuda also mentioned Foreign Minister Qureshi’s recent visit to Japan and said that during the minister’s visit, Pakistan and Japan exchanged notes for 2 Japanese grant assistance, for expansion of PIMS and provision of X-ray cargo scanners.

Also Foreign Minister Qureshi held talks with Deputy PM / Finance Minister Mr. Aso and Foreign Minister, Mr. Kono.

The Era of His Majesty Emperor Akihito’s reign was called Heisei which means achieving peace. .On April 1, 2019, the Government of Japan had announced the name of new era of Japan “Reiwa”, which began on May 1, and signifies order and harmony.

The term “Rei-wa” (令和) consists of two kanji characters: “rei” (令) means beautiful, “wa” (和) means harmony. Moreover, this name “Reiwa” includes the meaning of culture coming into being and flourishing when people bring their hearts and minds together in a beautiful manner.

About naming of the new era, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said that the name of new era was selected by his government with the hope of making Japan a nation where every person can achieve dreams, like the plum flowers that bloom beautifully after a severe winter to signal the start of spring.

It is the first time an era name has been taken from an old anthology of Japanese literature, the Manyoshu, compiled more than 1,200 years ago.

The Imperial Household of Japan is the oldest now existing lineage in the world, dating more than 2000 years back, since the foundation of the first Emperor Jimmu in 660 B.C. according to Japan’s oldest history book named Nihonshoki.

Today, under Japan’s postwar constitution, the Emperor is featured as a symbol of the nation, embodying the unity of its people.=DNA

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